Technical Education blocks entry of Engg Graduates

Flouting rules, blue eyed officials promoted

The Department of Technical Education in the State is blocking the entry of Engineering Graduates into the department by violating its own recruitment rules. Around 1000 Engineering Graduates are unemployed in the State and vested interests are blocking their entry into the Department.

As per the records of the department, for the past 12 years, 99 departmental candidates were promoted to the posts of Superintendents while only 28 candidates were selected through the Public Service Commission (PSC) directly.

According to the SRO 328 dated 29-08-2002 of the department, 50 percent Superintendents have to be appointed directly by the PSC and 50 percent have to come through departmental promotion of Supervisors with Degree, Diploma or ITI+ATI in Engineering Trade.

The promotion of departmental candidates on the posts of Superintendents meant for direct recruitments is in gross violation to Government Order No 107 GAD of 2007 dated 18-01-2002 after the Cabinet decision No 186\15 dated 27-12-2001 which restricts the Administrative Secretaries of the Government from such promotions.

The Government order says: "It must be ensured that no promotee is put in the direct recruitment quota, temporarily or on stop gap or adhoc basis when such direct recruitment posts have not been referred to PSC\SSB."

"No quota be diverted from one source of appointment to another and where ever it has been diverted the same should be restored to such sources in future", the order adds.

The records of the department suggested that at present 21 departmental candidates are working against direct quota of Superintendents in the department and these posts have not been referred to the PSC just to favour the blue eyed officials of the department.

Only last month, the department in violation of the cadre management rules adjusted 8 blued eyed officials as Superintendents against the direct quota last month vide Government order No 39 -Edu (tech) of 2012 dated 15-02-2012.

These officials are Group Instructor Bashir Ahmad Beg, Supervisor Javed Hussain Wani, Supervisor Abdul Majid Dar, Supervisor Abdul Latief Beg, Supervisor Rama Kant, Group Instructor Abdul Rashid Bajard, Foreman Ratan Lal Wali and Technical Assistant Muzaffar Ahmad Shah.

One of these candidates, Technical Assistant Muzaffar Ahmad Shah did not fall within the purview of promotion category. Shah has been promoted directly as Head of the institute, ITI Seer Hamadan in district Anantnag, with DDO powers which is gross violation of recruitment rules.

As per SRO 145 of 2002 governing SSR of Technical Education, the promotion category of Technical Assistant is Supervisor and after five years' service as Supervisor and as per seniority is eligible for promotion to the post of Superintendent.

Two more officials, Bashir Ahmad Beg and Javed Ahmad Wani who were promoted as Superintendents are without Craft Training of Instructors, CTI, required for the promotion. They have been posted in ITI Ganderbal, Central Kashmir and ITI Tral in South Kashmir. Besides this Group Instructor Abdul Rashid Bajard who has been posted in ITI Kupwara, North Kashmir was also not eligible for the promotion.

Besides this the department has flouted the rules and promoted eight officers as Superintendents in 2009 under Government order No. 89-EDU (Tech) of 2009 dated 14-10-2009. Out of eight promoted as Superintendents, seven doesn't fall in the seniority list issued by the department DTE|Estt/101/53/44-91 dated 07-01-2008.

Those who were not figuring in the seniority list are Vivek Sagar, Rajesh Gupta, Naresh Singh, Qazi Arif, Ujwal Mahajan, Irshad Ahmad Jan and Mudasir Shamas. Only one, Altaf Hussain was in the seniority list.

In order to encourage more departmental promotions and block direct recruitments, the records of the department suggested that there were 68 Supervisors as on August 2007 against the sanctioned strength of 39 only.