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| J&K Govt sitting over 'extra-ordinary' PSC reforms just to accommodate retiring, retired Babus | | 'Video-recording interviews being resisted' | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Jan 7: With several high profile and politically well-connected Bureaucrats and Police Officers all set to retire in the next 14 months, State Government is unlikely to give assent to extraordinary reform measures for bringing increasing transparency and accountability in the functioning of Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKSPC).
These reform measures include decreasing strength of members, keeping regular check on functioning, appointing men of integrity, curtailing tenure and video recording interviews of candidates appearing before the Commission. Of these measures, sources said that Commission has sent a detailed note to the Government explaining reasons for seeking decrease in the strength of members, appointing men of integrity and video recording interviews.
The recommendations for curtailing tenure and keeping regular check on functioning of the Commission have come from social groups, added the sources. They said that Commission has asked the Government not to unnecessarily increase strength of the Commission and instead, advised for keeping the same to five including the Chairman. It has maintained that five members, all men of proven integrity would be sufficient for effective functioning of the Commission.
Sources said that Commission has stressed on the need for video-recording interviews to leave no space for suspicion and wild rumors. It has called for appointing men of integrity with proven track as members of the Commission and cutting down on the politicization of the appointment process, sources told Early Times. Certain social groups too have stepped in to build pressure on the Government to keep the process of selection of members apolitical and curtail tenure of members.
The groups have called for keeping maximum tenure of members as well as Chairman of the Commission upto three years. If there is an exigency or non-availability, then the Government has powers to amend rules but with dearth of talent around, three years would be sufficient. This would ensure that members do not develop vested interest in the Commission over a period of time, the groups have advocated.
They have said that members of the Commission should be selected from most excellent available lot in the State and should not be restricted to accommodating retired bureaucrats and police officers. Groups have recommended that members should be chosen from eminent scientists, professors, intellectuals, journalists, police officers, bureaucrats, legal luminaries, High court and Supreme Court judges. It should be mixture of State and non-state subjects, groups have recommended.
These powerful pressure groups have questioned relevance of NC-Congress coordination committee selecting members for running a Commission, where officers for running State administration are chosen through competitive examinations. They have pleaded with Governor N.N. Vohra to accept recommendations of Commission in verbatim and also take a serious view of their opinions with regard to increasing transparency and accountability in this high profile Commission.
The social groups both in Jammu region and Kashmir valley have regretted behavior of retiring members of the Commission. They have asked the members both retired and serving to come out with details, if they have any of Commission resorting to corrupt practices for selection of candidates. They have expressed surprise over retired members of the Commission, whose kith and kin joined various services in the State during the last four years, raising a banner of revolt.
Stating that silence of these retired as well as serving members, a year ago over the revelations made by Early Times about happenings in the Commission points towards their self-serving attitude even after having retired from the Government service, peer groups maintain that Government should initiate a time-bound inquiry into conduct of the members as well as functioning of the Commission during the last four years to know the truth behind all the hue and cry. "Those who are resisting video-recording of interviews and curtailing strength of members of Commission have no right to talk about transparency and accountability. They are just diverting the issue," said member of a social rights group. |
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