Coalition members grill Govt on re-employment of retd employees

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 4: The Government was virtually placed in an aukward situation by the ruling coalition members in the Upper House of the Legislature today on the issue of  re-employment/ extension of  not only the top retired officers like Directors or Chief Engineers, but even the drivers and orderlies  (Class- IV employees) on the plea of  their ‘excellent performance’.
Senior  National Conference  Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather was replying to the clubbed question of  Congress members Bashir Ahmed Magray and B R Kundal and  National Conference legislator Dr Shehnaz Ganai in the Legislative Council on behalf of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Mr Rather apparently felt himself in an ‘uneasy situation’ when the members asked that technical qualifications or extra ordinary qualities of performance could be some justified reason for re-employment of retiree but what was the compulsion of the Government to give undue favours to even retired drivers and orderlies for grating them extension.
Congress Legislator, Ghulam Nabi Monga pointed out that the Government has already claimed on many occasions that there were nearly 6 lakh educated unemployed youth in the State and unemployment was the major issue before it then why it is resorting to such measures to re-employ retirees or give them extension. Why it resorts to pick and choose tactics on the face values of the individuals and favourites only on its sweet will?  He said it will be great injustice to the deserving educated persons or those waiting for the promotion avenues. Would it like to define a specific criteria for the same?
Congress Member Mr Kundal in his supplementary asked a large number of consultants have been engaged at Government exchequer and if they have to do the job of the people assigned for the jobs in their respective departments, what they will do there. He said even in the list provided some class –IV, drivers and clerks have been given extensions what extra ordinary quality they had for seeking extension or re-employment.
NC member Sheikh Ghulam Rasool while pointing out the reply that Director Agriculture or  Horticulture  were given extension  as no eligible officer was available, said that departments are full for senior technical people. Was there not a single senior technical officer available for the post. It is better to accord such posts  to the technical people rather than non-technical people as being done earlier. Dr Shehnaz Ganai, however, preferred to keep mum and maintained that she was satisfied with the reply given by ‘Rather Sahib’.
While responding to the pointed queries of the other members, Mr Rather admitted in the House that he personally or even his Government   is not in favour of according extensions or re-employment of the retired employees/ officers but maintained that some times due to some compulsions the Government is left with no option. Due to non-availability of technical and experienced employees or for the completion of some projects, some employees are retained for some time. He referred to the conduct of elections and Land Settlement in Revenue Department and  said that some highly experienced people had to be retained including Tehsildars, Naib Tehsildars, Patwaris etc and Election Officers of capability and good experience.
Mr Rather further claimed that on the special request of  Ministers some times, the Chief Minister is competent to give extension to some employees or officers in their personal staff. For some projects also some experienced technical officers are  retained but he avoided the reply on the drivers, orderlies or clerks. The minister also provided the detail of the names, designation, salaries  of  nearly 200 officers/ employees  given extension and re-employment in last four years. But the list also contains some names who are getting extensions since 2006 and 2007.
Some of the senior officers who were given extension are: Dr Ghulam Hassan Shah, Director Horticulture Kashmir, J L Sharma Director Horticulture Jammu, Ajay Khajuria Director Agriculture Jammu,  Abdul Hakeem Distt Motor Garages Leh, Akhtar Ali Khan Project Director DRDA, Abdul Ahad Dar Tehsildar, Abdul Majid Wani Custodian Jammu, Manzoor Ahmed Khan Under Secretary, Nazir Ahmed Parray Assistant Chief Electoral Officer, Abdul Ahad Bhat  Election Officer, Arun Bakshi Managing Director Jammu Central Coop Bank, Janak Raj Distt Manager, R S Slathia Dy GM  Jammu Central Coop Bank,  Dr Mohd Amin, Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Muneer Masoodi HoD SPM GMC Srinagar,   Mohd Yaseen Khan Dy Director Inf, Soba Ram Joint Director H&P, Mohd Amin Khan Dy Director H&P, G A Qureshi Director General, Bashrat Ahmed Dar Comm/ Secy Power as MD JKSPDC, Bashir Ahmed Commissioner Commercial Taxes, J N Koul Dy Director Budget, Mohd Yakoob Yatoo AAO, Qazi Altaf Manager SFC,  B R Sharma private Secretary to the then Minister for PHE, I&FC, Rafiq Ahmed Dar Dy Director CAPD, Mushtaq Ahmed Dy Secretary Inf Comm office, Feroz Ahmed Addl Secretary, Sami Ahmed Wani Addl Secretary J&K Legislative Assembly,  Irfan Yasin Vice Chairman Lakes and Waterways Dev Authority, M K Raina retd KAS officer, Mushtaq Ahmed Siddiqui Spl secretary Finance, Dinesh Maini Dy Registrar,Najeeb Ullah Chief Engineer,Gh Mohd Wani Dy CEO, Haroon Rashid CAO, Babu Hussain Sheikh SE R&B, G H Sofi DGM Works, R K Razdan Managing Director, Farooq Nazki Director Doordarshan Sgr as Media consultant, Mohd Rafi DC Budgam, T K Koul Chief Engineer (Elect), A R Tak Exdecutive Director JKSPDC, L K Bhat SE, G C Parihar SE, B S Jamwal CE Civil, Pawan Kumar CE, K K Sawhney Chief Manager, Mushtaq Ahmed Peer Chairman BOSE, R K Mahindroo Member SSB, S S Kapoor Chief secretary, B K Abrol CE, Abdul Rashid Taz Executive Director and others.

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