BY: Malik Jehangir
SRINAGAR: Skill Development department is one of the many departments in Jammu & Kashmir where irrelevant recruitment rules, their manipulation and unwanted political affiliation of officers and officials has spoiled the work culture and divided the employees, derailing them from the task they were appointed for.
Sources said that from the appointment of an employee to his/her fixation of seniority and granting of promotions along with transfers and assignment of tasks, all is not seen fair or rational in the Skill Development department. In the matter of appointments it has been seen that when a father retires the son gets engaged.
“In the matter of transfers and promotions lobbyism and unionism, political as well as departmental has a good say. Many employees are doing trivial jobs of maintaining the stores in sub offices or regulating the daily attendance register of the staff or helping the ministerial staff for computing the official letters or fetching the locally purchased materials and authenticating and verifying their vouchers,” said sources.
Sources said that in case of promotions ‘diploma quota’ has been introduced in order to given benefits to blue eyed selected randomly for the purpose. Most of the employees thus benefitted have dubious academic record qualifications adding that a particular percentage required in qualifying examinations has not been considered.
“In order to benefit a certain group of employees, in the case of diploma quota, all the set norms of the government have been trampled upon by the department. Futile attempts to get approval for higher education with regard to diplomas have been made, but in vain,” said sources.
Sources said favouritism becomes manifest when we see the charge of ITI Anantnag along with ITI Seer Hamdan been given to a ‘controversial’ diploma holder to chair it as Principal for last six years. All the perks along with the principal-stamp of this most responsible post are being enjoyed much favoured employee, they said.
“Those legally genuine for the post have been sidelined as the incumbent abetted the lobby in verifying the weaving machinery worth crores that was rejected on genuine grounds by the predecessor. Giving the DDO powers to such a person and accepting him as such by the District Treasury Officer raises the question financial code of conduct obviously,” said sources.
Sources said that he does not exist in the seniority list of Principals or even Superintendents for that matter. Deserving and genuinely promoted personnel of the cadre have been attached with the provincial head offices adding that there is a gloomy picture vis-à-vis overall functioning of the department.
“Certain daily wagers and class IV employees reached to the level of Technical Assistants, JEs, Supervisors, SOs, PAs, OSDs, Superintendents and Principals (in the case of Principal ITI Anantnag). Such things need to be seen, definitely through the prism of recruitment rules in vogue,” the sources said.
Sources said the service records along with testimonials of this group of employees need to be verified so as to safeguard the interests of employees in general. This has become important because an official got appointed in Ladakh on the post that belonged to that region, but managed with the help of some officers to be among the first in seniority in Kashmir province.
Sources said that all these things have lead to litigation, disappointment, breach of trust, shirking of work and shortcuts to move forward. They said the Fact Finding Committees constituted time and again by the government have not done any justice with the aggrieved employees thus pushing them to the wall.