Public Service Aspirants of Nagaland (PSAN) on Thursday reiterated its demand for immediate termination of all contractual appointments made after June 6, 2016 and requisition the resultant vacancies to NPSC for direct recruitment.
In a press release, media cell PSAN claimed it has unearthed as many as 32 contractual appointments in the department of higher education, justice & law and art & culture. It said the appointments were made after the state government had issued notification banning contractual appointments, vide office memorandum (OM) dated June 6, 2016. PSAN questioned why was the notification issued when the state government did not intend to follow it?
Describing the OM as “a mere eye wash”, PSAN said those contractual appointments made post June 6, 2016 was “a complete betrayal of trust and mockery of democratic ideals.” Further, PSAN said that in the rural development (RD) department, as many as 21 posts of BDO/RDO/APO (Class-I gazetted) were currently under deputation. PSAN reminded RD department that since 2012 as many as 23 vacancies of BDO/RDO/APO have resulted but only two BDO posts were requisitioned to NPSC for direct recruitment during the same period.
PSAN has therefore asked the RD department to explain why so many posts were being filled through deputation when there was NPSC to fill up vacancies through direct recruitment. It said that RD department was also answerable to the people of Nagaland for violating the government’s standing order on deputation dated August 30, 2004.
Further, according to PSAN, in response to the chief secretary’s letter to its convenor, dated July 3, 2017, it has submitted a list of 32 names belonging to higher education, art & culture and justice & law departments whose appointments were made after June 6, 2016 for termination from service.
In RD department, PSAN said the names of 18 deputationists have been submitted to the chief secretary to revert back to their parent departments and requisition the resultant vacancies to NPSC for direct recruitment.
It pointed out that four more names that were also on deputation in the same department would be submitted to the higher authority for similar action after availing proper information from the department.
PSAN cautioned the departments of RD, Arts & Culture (A&C), Social Welfare (SW) and Treasuries & Accounts (T&A) for non-compliance of its ultimatum in spite of repeated appeals and agitation.
In its ultimatum dated June 2, 2017, PSAN had demanded the four departments to cancel the contractual appointments and deputations, which included 81 posts of supervisors under SW department; 11 posts of BDO/RDO/APO on contract and 18+4 posts of BDO/RDO/APO on deputation under RD department; one post of archivist on deputation, one post of assistant archivist, one post of record keeper and five posts of research assistants each reserved for general category, Chakhesangs, Phoms, Changs and Angamis, which were all on contract under A&C department, and 10 posts of assistant auditors which were recruited without advertisement in spite of the posts falling under the purview of NPSC and four posts of STOs and six posts of JAO/DAO yet to be requisitioned to NPSC by the T&A department.
Further, PSAN said two assistant geologists on deputation in the department of geology and mining should be reverted back to their parent departments and 19 posts of Dy.SPs lying vacant in home department should be requisitioned to NPSC without delay.
In the directorate of T&A, PSAN said currently there were as many as 117 sanctioned posts of JDAs. However, it said that out of the sanctioned posts 59 were regular employees, 23 JDAs requisitioned to NPSC in 2016 (exam result yet to be declared) and 26 currently under contract.
In this regard, the PSAN questioned the department as to why only nine JDA posts were forwarded to the secretariat to be requisitioned to NPSC 2017 out of the total 35 vacancies.
PSAN said it was evident from the above calculation that the department was contemplating regularising 26 JDA contractual appointments without requisitioning to NPSC.
Affirming that it would never let that to happen, PSAN demanded immediate requisitioning of the remaining 26 posts of JDAs (currently under contract) to NPSC for direct recruitment. PSAN cautioned that it would not remain a silent spectator until its demands were fulfilled.
PSAN also asserted that not even a single post in offices under the government of Nagaland should be allowed to be condoned by few vested individuals.
The association maintained that it would keep strict vigil of all the departments by filing RTI queries on a regular basis.