Early Times Report Jammu, Feb 15: Severe shortage of manpower in Provident Offices has hit the functioning of district offices in Jammu division badly as Inspectors of the same office are holding the Assistant Commissioners' posts. Sources informed Early Times that in Jammu division, there are six district provident offices in Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, which cover seven hilly district of Rajouri, Poonch, Reasi, Udhampur, Doda, Kisthwar and Ramban. "Ironically, except for Samba, where Assistant Commissioner Provident is holding the charge of office, all the district provident fund offices are either run by Senior Inspectors or Assistant Director of Employment as additional charge", said sources wishing anonymity. Sources further said that as per norms, the district provident offices should be run by Assistant Commissioners but due to severe shortage of manpower in Jammu and Kashmir Provident Funds Organization and delay in recruitment, the functioning of department is baldly hit as most of inspectors who have been holding additional charge of Assistant commissioner in Kathua Poonch, Udhampur, Rajouri Doda, Ramban, Kisthwar visit field occasionally. "The callousness on part of department can be gauged from the fact that a senior inspector who has been holding charge of Jammu, is also holding the charge of inspector in hilly districts of Rajouri and Poonch", said an official and added that another Senior Inspector who is holding the charge of Udhampur-Reasi Offices, has been holding three more hilly districts, including Kisthwar, Doda and Ramban and it is very difficult for a single person to manage field work of five districts that too in hilly districts. |