SRINAGAR: In a bizarre development authorities in Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayat Raj have approached Agriculture Department for utilizing the services of Agricultural Extension Officers as Block Development Officers for functioning of new 177 CD blocks in the state ignoring the highly experienced and qualified employees of their own employees.
This move has evoked criticism from the officials within RDD who allege that higher ups in the new secretariat are trying to adjust their blue eyed Agri officers as BDOs. Dismayed employees of the RDD have threatened to go for indefinite strike and protests if it was implemented on ground. A letter written by special secretary, Department of Rural development and Panchayat Raj to commissioner secretary Agriculture Production department vide No PS/SS/RDD/CDB/276-78/14 has requested to keep the services of at least 10 Agriculture Extension Officers at the disposal of RDD so that deficiency of BDOs could be made good to some extent.
Special secretary in his letter mentions that As per decisions of the cabinet dated 07-02-2014 it has been decided to create 177 additional community development blocks in the state. The proposal of creation of staff for making these units fully functional is being finalized by the high power committee under the chairmanship of chief secretary.
It is apparent that creation of staff for these CD blocks and their consequent recruitment may take substantial time. As there are several posts of BDOs under promotion quota are also vacant, but at the time no official under feeding category is eligible for promotion as BDO However the department contemplates to make these new units functional as early as possible through getting some officers /staff on deputation basis from other department like Agriculture production department, R&B, and Planning and development departments reads the letter.
The move however has evoked sharp criticism from the officials within RDD who have threatened to go for strike if the proposal is implemented and bottlenecks are created to stop the employees of the department from promotions. Besides this RDD officials alleged that high power committee has made several discrepancies in the creation of staff for additional 177 CD blocks.
Higher ups of rural development department are creating problems in promotions of RDD employees citing different excuses just to hire their blue eyed officers from other departments like agriculture and planning to open the doors of corruption said Bashir Ahmad Mir, President All JK VLWs/RDD employees association. it is unfortunate and sheer discrimination with the departmental employees that high power committee has not even made any creation for Panchayat Inspector and junior assistants to close all the doors of promotion for the employees of the rural dev. Department, on the contrary to this committee according to their own will and wishes have created posts like AAO, SO (Planning) to adjust their blue eyed officers from other departments.
Besides this officers on the helm of affairs are not ready to consider the expertise and qualification of the departmental personnel just to bring the officers from agriculture departments from back door Bashir Mir castigated the move saying that authorities in department should utilize their own manpower for the posts of BDOs. There are highly qualified, highly experienced and dedicated employees in the department. They can be taken Panchayat Inspectors and BDOs. They are well aware about the functioning of the department, he said. He said that there is no qualification bar for post of Under Secretary in Civil Secretariat Gazette Recruitment rules while service experience of the employees is considered for the post. It is open anomaly with rural development department. Our department should also give some consideration to service experience of its employees; besides this our graduate and post graduate employees should be considered for promotions.
He however threatened to go for valley wide strike against the move initiated by the government. Employees of RDD never resort to strikes and halt the functioning of the department but such attempts by authorities provoke us to put to streets, said Mir, adding manpower in RDD has served since decades. They are their own assets and can be used in any relevant field of RDD. (KNS)
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