Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 30: Government today admitted that several junior officers are holding top posts than their senior counterparts in the Agriculture Department.
The seniors are discharging the duties in own pay grades on different posts without promotional benefits because of Government order No. 279-Agri of 2008, it said.
In a written reply to a question of MLA Usman Abdul Majid in Lower House, Minister Incharge Agriculture said the Departmental Promotional Committee (DPC) of the Agriculture Production Department has been held during the year 2001, 2005 and 2013 and lately in 2016.
“Orders clearing number of officers to class fifth, class sixth, class third and class two. However, the recommendations of the Public Service Commission are awaited. It is already a subject matter of litigation in almost all the writ petitions which are filed both at Srinagar and Jammu benches of the High Court of J&K,” he said.
The Minister stated that High Court while disposing off the clubbed writ petitions titled Chiran Jeewan Razdan and Ors V/s state and Ors, has directed the Administrative Department “to place the matter before the PSC/DPC for its examination and final orders”.
“Accordingly all these petitions are disposed off on the consensus of learned counsel for the parties, with the directions to the official respondents to place matter along with final seniority list of all Gazetted officers prepared by the officials’ respondent who are in zone of consideration before state PSC/DPC. Meanwhile, Government order No. 279-Agri of 2008 dated 07-10-2008 impugned in these petitions shall remain subject to outcome of the finalization of the matter by PSC/ DPC,” the Minister quoted the Court order.
He further quoted: “The matter on the directions of the court was placed before the PSC/ DPC in the year, 2013 and the DPC/ PSC made its recommendations which were followed by Government order wherein regularization of 67 VEWs as AEO was made. This has led the Government order NO. 279- Agri of 2008 half heartedly alive. Subsequently after finalizing seniority list of all Gazetted members vide Government Order NO. 277,278 and 283- Agri of 2015 dated 11.9.2015 and 18.9.2015, a comprehensive proposal was places before the PSC/DPC in October, 2015 followed by a DPC meeting of 19.1.2016.” However, recommendations of the Commission are awaited, the Minister said.
“The promotional benefits to the senior Agriculture officers would be allowed only once the PSC makes its recommendations on the DPC held on 19.01.2016,” he added.
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