‘Issue genuine, being taken up with FD for resolution’
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Mar 29: The Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department has failed to work out actual pay scales of different categories of posts created in the new Medical Colleges of J&K even as the Finance Department has stated that there are no recruitment rules in place for Non-Gazetted posts created in these newly established colleges, leaving the employees in the lurch.
In this regard, the matter has been repeatedly taken up with the concerned department by the employees who have been appointed against various Non-Gazetted posts in various Medical Colleges across J&K, through representations. However, the matter remains lingering with no headway achieved in this regard so far.
Due to the lingering issue, with the concerned department sitting on the same, several employees in the newly established Medical Colleges are now switching to other departments because the pay level of the same posts is higher there, as a result, the same has created a shortage of Non-Gazetted employees.
In this connection, the Vocational Counsellors of GMC Baramulla, Anantnag, Kathua and Doda along with other employees such as store-keepers, Health Inspectors, Audio and Video technicians as well as Matrons have brought the issue to the notice of the Department stating that there is an anomaly in their present pay grade while urging the authorities to bring their pay scale at par with the Non-Gazetted employees of GMC, Srinagar and Jammu.
Notably, earlier when the establishment of these medical colleges started, the Cabinet vide its Decision no.175/11/2017 dated October 3, 2017, accorded sanction to the creation of 3375 posts for the establishment of five new Government Medical Colleges in J&K and accordingly, H&ME notified the posts, 675 each for GMC Anantnag, GMC Baramulla, GMC Rajouri, GMC Doda and GMC, Kathua.
Later, it was felt imperative to work out the actual pay scales of posts in new Government Medical Colleges and accordingly Government Order No.831-HME of 2019 dated September 18, 2019, and Government Order No.16-HME of 2019 dated November 28, 2019, were issued to carry out the same.
However, the details suggest, the exercise was not conducted well within the specified time frame and vide Government Order No.892-HME dated December 2, 2020, then in the supersession of earlier orders, a committee was constituted to work out the actual pay scales issues.
The committee then submitted its report to the Finance Department for the rectification of the pay scale in October 2021. However, it has also been learned that the Finance Department was not convinced, mentioning that there were no recruitment rules in place for Non-Gazetted posts in new Medical Colleges and the necessary rectification of the pay scale cannot be carried out in the absence of the same.
The aggrieved employees said that it was unfortunate that more than three years have passed since the establishment of the Medical Colleges in J&K and there still are no recruitment rules for the Non-Gazetted employees.
They said that there was a pay scale issue also with the post of Principals in the Medical Colleges. However, the same has been resolved, leaving out the Non-Gazetted ones.
It is to be noted here that due to the non-seriousness of the H&ME in fixing the issues of the pay scale, several employees are switching to other departments.
A case in point is that of GMC Baramulla where the staff recruited for store-keeper cum clerk-cum-computer operator were 53 while as currently only 25 employees are on roll employees and the rest have switched to other departments.
Financial Commissioner, H&ME Vivek Bhardwaj told Excelsior that issue of the Non-Gazetted employees in the newly established is genuine and that after the earlier report and then the subsequent observations, the matter is now again being taken up with the Finance Department for the resolution of the issue.
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