J&K: Where did three decades of back door recruitment, investigations and proceedings end up?

Srinagar, Feb 24 KPS: Serious steps are being taken by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to bring transparency in the recruitment process, including a probe into the backdoor recruitment that have taken place in the Union Territory for the past nearly three decades.

It has been revealed that the computer operator, who was temporarily posted for six months on the basis of influence in the J&K Housing Board, has been continuously posted in the department since 1993 and has been promoted to a higher position during the period.

Such back door recruitment are not confined to one department but can be found in the Health Department, PHE, R&B and many other important departments. The back door appointments in various department has remained a mystery for both the government and the people.

Meanwhile, the employees of the Housing Board have however expressed strong resentment over illegal appointments and have appealed the Lieutenant Governor and other senior officials to intervene into the matter.
According to the details available to Kashmir Press Service, the J&K Housing Board, in the year 1993, appointed Yogesh Sharma as a computer operator (on temporary basis for six months) and an order in this regard was issued under vide HBPSTT / FF dated 01.10.1993.

The appointment was only for six months and it was written in the order that the salary of the employee would be released from the Self Finance Scheme of Rs 4,000 per month. However, ironically, after the passage of six months, the employee became permanent and the executive engineer who was posted in the board during that time was Sharma’s father.

It has also been revealed that when the appointment was implemented, Sharma was appointed to the post without any advertisement or notice.

“Without any selection and advertisement, Sharma became permanent employee in the board and today he is occupying a high position,” the details revealed.

The employees of the board have expressed anger over the fake appointment and said that it was a very wrong act that a temporary employee who was posted in the department for six months through a backdoor entry.

The backdoor entry in the housing board is considered contrary to SRO-64 which clearly directs that the appointment of any person in any department is within the purview of the government and as per the rules an employee should be appointed in a government department by a recruiting agency.

Employees said that such actions are aimed at securing the rights of young people who really deserve it and who are qualified for such positions.

They demanded that the appointment of Sharma should be investigated and brought to light.

“How a person named Yogesh Sharma entered the department. Also, if any other such appointments have been made or not?”

The employees have appealed to J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary, Crime Branch, Vigilance and MD Department to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and urged a strict action against those involved in illegal appointments.

The employees have said that the matter has already been reported in the newspapers, but no action has been taken on it yet and now they demanded the action be taken against Sharma.

It is pertinent to mention here that the LG administration has started an investigation regarding the backdoor recruitment in J&K. The list of employees recruited illegally in various government departments through influence has also been prepared. It is expected that important decisions regarding their selection will be made public soon.