Srinagar, Feb 03 (KNS): The executive staff of the state Horticulture Planning & Marketing Department on Monday alleged that during last fourty years few retired and in service officers of the department of adopting unfair means, putting chances of career progression of other executive staff of the department in shambles.
In a statement issued to KNS, the executive staff stated that the department manoeuvred the authorities in civil secretariat and had managed adhoc promotions in the department while throwing rules to the wind.
The statement stated that keeping in view, grievances and stay of the other executive staff of the department on one post since 20-25 years, the government had issued an Executive Order in year 2005 for giving them promotions to the next higher posts as per proposed gazetted service rules, till those were finalized and notified by the administrative department, which otherwise had failed to finalise the new gazetted service rules despite lapse of more than three decades. Since the rules in vogue were faulty and were proving to be an hurdle in career progression of departmental officers, these were repeatedly recommended by the Directorate office to the administrative department for change in the same as well as to ensure direct entry, only on one level, instead of existing two level direct entry to gazetted service in the department.
The statement reads further that accordingly, few ad hoc promotions were made by administrative department and Directors of the department on instructions of higher authorities, on the basis of the executive order, issued by the government in year 2005. But, there also, discrimination was done by those sitting at helm of add by releasing charge allowance & higher grades in favour of few blue eyed moneyed staff members and depriving other officers with the same.
“Now, once again, the department has undertaken an exercise for conducting DPC on pick & choose basis and in a hush hush manner to accommodate few blue eyed officers, for reasons best known to the authorities. Few chosen favorites are being considered for promotion under reservation quota showing thumb to the catch up rule as well practice adopted by the GAD, keeping category quota posts vacant till a final outcome of the subjudice matter for one time benefits to category employees is settled, once for all,” the statement said.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Whereas, executive staff of the department had been, repeatedly demanding for accord of one time relaxation by the Chief Minister to all officers of the department who were given ad hoc promotions to the higher posts either by the administrative department or the then Directors on basis of the government executive order or before issuance of the executive order, by bypassing the gazetted service rules of the department, during last 40 years. Even, Rafiq Ahmad Hakim, the previous Director of the department had forwarded a proposal in this regard to the administrative department, one and half years back. But, the same was got shelved off by those having vested interests. Similarly, a number of proposals for reorganization of the department forwarded to the administrative department during last one decade, also, got faced the same fate and got stuck on one or the other stages due to the red tapism existing in the administrative department.
All executive staff members have made an appeal to Syed Basharat Bukhari Horticulture Minister and Mehbooba Mufti the Chief Minister to get stopped the exercise for conduct of DPC for benefits of those influential and moneyed, on pick & choose basis and also against guidelines of the GAD in catch up rule and without making long pending amendments in faulty gazetted service rules of the department, which could not be amended by the administrative department in last twentyy years, for reasons best known to them. Now the executive staff of the department, in view of their stagnation on one post since 20 - 30 years, have appealed the Horticulture Minister to submit a proposal before Chief Minister of the state for accord of one time relaxation to all executive officers of the department, without adopting any pick and choose policy, that too in view of catch up rule(s) as per directions issued by the Honourable Courts of law and policy adopted by the J&KGAD, in this regard. (KNS)