Early Times Report
JAMMU, June 24: The Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture department has given additional charge of the post of Chief Horticulture Officer (CHO) Jammu to a junior officer in utter disregard to the directions of High Court.
According to sources the Horticulture department has failed to conduct Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for the last many years, due to which the posts of various cadres have been filled on interim arrangement basis, on pick and choose basis ignoring the seniority list.
Perturbed over the maladministration, some of aggrieved officers had knocked the doors of the court. In one such contempt petition filed by some aggrieved officers of Horticulture department, CPSW No. 568/2017 titled Qazi Tassuduq and Ors vs MH Malik and Ors, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had issued an order dated 14/5/2019.
The HC order reads, “Authorities (Horticulture department) shall complete the regularization process of filling up the posts of Chief Horticulture Officers in consultation with the Public Service Commission within a period of 3 months, failing which the interim arrangement shall cease”.
Also it was ordered by HC that till the posts are filled up on regular bases, the interim arrangement of any vacancy shall be made out of the eligible officers on the basis of seniority and in terms of applicable rules.
“But throwing the order of HC into dustbin, the Horticulture department vide order No. 85/DHJ of 2019, dated 14/6/2019 gave additional charge of vacant post of Chief Horticulture Officer Jammu to an officer, who stood at Serial No 43 of the seniority list.
Sources in department disclosed that in the past also, the same officer had already been elevated out of the way bypassing the seniority list on look after capacity as Chief Horticulture Officer Samba for the last 5 years, ignoring the eligible officers falling on the top serial numbers of the seniority lists including the officer stood at serial number 1.
Sources further disclosed that blue eyed officers falling at the bottom of the seniority list and also of last of 2001 batch, stood at serial number 73, 71, 61, 50, 49, 44 beside others have already been elevated as Chief Horticulture Officers on look after capacity for the last 2 to 6 years ignoring the deserving and eligible officers, stood at top of seniority lists. |
