Srinagar: At a time when Jammu and Kashmir has been facing a huge unemployment with the number of jobless persons increasing by the day, but the State Government instead of addressing the issue is re-employing former officers, mostly top bureaucrats.
To the shock and surprise for the medical fraternity, just before two days the democratically elected government was to be sworn in Jammu and Kashmir, some dubious characters in Health and Medical Education Department, issued an office memo vide number A/73(2014)298 dated 26-2-2015 granting one more extension in the services of Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr Rafiq Pampori.
Reports said that distressing situation is prevailing among rank and file of GMC, Srinagar on account of uncalled for extensions in the services of Dr Rafiq Pampori beyond his superannuation on February 28, 2014 which obviously smacks of the political clout enjoyed and exercised by the said officer thereby making the Senior and competent faculty members to bite the dust and leading to marked stagnation at senior faculty level.
As if, one extension of one year was not enough, the Health and Medical Education Department through an office memo vide number A/73(2014)298 dated 26-2-2015 has been irrelevantly extra gracious to Dr Rafiq Pampori to ensure that he continues in office for a further period of three years, said a Doctor.
Another Doctor told CNS that one wonders what was the hurry to issue such an office memo just before two days the new government was to be sworn in thereby making such an office memo all the more dubious and having been issued under heavy political influence adding to the frustration level of deserving seniors.
Describing the move as the blatant instance of favouritsm, senior doctors said that due right is denied to deserving which needs to be restored in the interest of justice and to improve work culture to the Institution by allowing deserving seniors to show their metal and contribute towards the development of Government Medical College Srinagar.
Dr Rafiq Pampori is criticized by senior faculty who according to them exhibited callous attitude towards the scores of Para-Medical students for none of their fault. Evaluators committed blunder and indulged in wrong evaluation of examination papers. Instead of taking action against the said evaluators, the Principal in league with Registrar GMC forced these students to bite the dust and thus spoiled their precious year, said a faculty member adding that both the Principal and Registrar deny these students a meeting as every day these ill-fated students come from far flung areas to seek the reason for their failure.
Doctors said that work culture is at its lowest ebb from past many years at GMC Srinagar while government bothers least and accord extension after extension in the services of Dr Rafiq Pampori.
Some other doctors whose services were extended in recent past included Dr. Muneer Masoodi, Dr Fayaz Ahmad Reshi, Dr M Ahsan, Dr Nalini Seru, Dr Neeru Gupta, Dr M Khalil Dr Riyaz Rangrez. Dr Khalil and Rangrez, who retired as Assistant Professors from two Srinagar hospitals, were re-engaged as Medical Superintendents in the Psychiatry Diseases Hospital and the Chest Diseases Hospital, respectively.
Pertinently, at least 200 officers were rehabilitated post retirement in the six years of the then Omar Abdullah Government, 40 of them in 2013 alone despite a blanket ban on re-employment in the State.
Some of the top bureaucrats who enjoyed extensions in their services due to their political influence were Muhammad Anees, the spouse of senior National Conference leader and legislator Shameema Firdous, Shameema Firdous herself as Chairperson of the State Women Commission, former Chief Secretary SS Kapur, Professor M.Y.Qadri, Prof Abdul Wahid Qureshi, former Superintendent Engineer of the Power Development Corporation, AR Tak, former Director General (Economics and Statistics) G A Qureshi, the former Chief Engineer, Electric Department, TK Koul, Chief Engineer (Civil) BS Jamwal, Chief General Manager, PDC, K L Bhat, Chief Engineer Pawan Kumar, the former Deputy Director, State Motor Garages, Abdul Hakeem, the former Director (Agriculture), Jammu, Ajay Khujuria, Private Secretary of the Chief Electoral Officer Jagdish Raj Gupta, the Chairman of the Lakes and Waters Development Authority, IrfanYaseen, Ravi Magotra, former DG, Accounts and Treasuries, Rashmi Kashyap, former Director, Resources and Institutional Finances, SKA Qadri, former Director General, AA&M, Jatinder Kumar Gupta, former Special Secretary, Kuldeep Kumar Raina, former Deputy Superintendent, Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, the former Deputy Secretary, State Information Commission, former Law Secretary Farhat Tasneem, former Secretary (Revenue) KachooIsfandyar Khan, Thakur Shah, former Secretary of the State Human Rights Commission, Tariq Ahmad Banday, the former Deputy Registrar, State Accountability Commission, Dinesh Maini, the former Director of the Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Inayatullah Khan and Harnam Chand Bhagat, former Deputy Director. The list is too long and expanding. (CNS)
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