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| 'Blue-eyed' technical quota KAS Babus reign supreme, direct recruits second choice | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Jan 23: Officers inducted in Kashmir Administrative Service (KAS) through technical quota reign far superior in official circles and enjoy prize postings than the ones who laboured hard to make it to this high profile State service.
Sources said that in most cases, neither qualification nor expertise developed over years while working at various positions has been taken into account when cases have been taken up for consideration and induction. They added that around 34 officers from the present lot of KAS officers are technical quota beneficiaries.
These include Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla Ghulam Ahmed Khawaja. He qualified KAS examination and was allotted Gazetted service in Accounts. The service did not seemingly suit his taste and temperament. He applied and was inducted in KAS through technical quota. More surprisingly, Khawaja faces inquiry into acquisition of Date of Birth (DoB) fudging yet his 'efficiency and political patronage' ensured that he reigns supreme in administrative circles.
Khawaja incidentally leads the technical quota beneficiaries in the list available on the GAD website. He is followed up by Shabir Ahmad Bhat. Presently working as Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramban, Bhat was an employee of Planning Department. Technical quota opened gates of KAS for him. He left the planning and decided to take up the role of executing the projects. Officers maintain that a cursory look at the planning scenario of Jammu and Kashmir does give an insight into the contribution made by him while serving in the Planning Department of the State.
Another technical quota beneficiary Deputy Commissioner (DC) is Mohammad Javed Khan. He is looking after the developmental profile of Shopian after having served in the Planning Department. Sarmad Hafeez is Deputy Commissioner Kupwara since May 2012. If the direct recruit KAS officers are to be believed, Sarmad Hafiz was appointed in the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) on the basis of his qualification. They maintain that Sarmad was surreptitiously promoted to a scale which enabled him to seek induction in KAS through technical quota.
Jahangir Mir, who is presently Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam, was appointed first in the Local Bodies Department. Sources do give a detailed account of Mir's entry into KAS and point towards the wrongs committed by the State Government while dealing with cases of induction of officers into this high profile service through technical quota. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Doda Farooq Khan was an employee of State Forest Corporation (SFC). He too gained entry into KAS through technical quota.
Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC) Kulgam Mohammed Yousuf Zargar was an employee of Jammu and Kashmir Cements Limited (JKCL) and now, he is a KAS officer just because of the technical quota. Joint Transport Commissioner (JTC) Sheikh Fayaz Ahmed is also a technical quota beneficiary. He was appointed in JAKFED and later, inducted in KAS through technical quota. If all goes well, Fayaz is likely to retire as an IAS officer.
Sources affirm that credit for opening technical quota door for officers who are believed to be blue-eyed into KAS and then, IAS goes to ex-Chief Secretary and presently, NC MLC Sheikh Ghulam Rasool. They maintain that the NC MLC during his tenure as Chief Secretary carved out these rules, whose one of the beneficiary is his son and present, Joint Transport Commissioner (JTC) Sheikh Fayaz Ahmed. It cannot be said with certainty that the present NC MLC amended the KAS rules keeping his son in mind.
But the technical quota has ensured that direct recruit and promote officers fall below in service to these technical quota officers. In the KAS list available on the website of GAD, technical quota KAS inductees figure at two different places. In the first place, they begin number 43 to end at 65 and then, the officers from 394 to 404 are also technical quota beneficiaries. Overall, if one goes by the list, 34 officers, all of whom are technical quota beneficiaries enjoy prize postings.
On the contrary, direct recruit KAS officers are either languishing in boards or holding posts where their contribution is neither seen nor appreciated. Several officers maintain that an inquiry has never been instituted to at least bring out the factual details about the officers who are presently holding prize postings despite not having ever sat for competitive examination for gaining entry into this high profile service. Further, arbitrariness of the technical quota rule can be gauged from the fact that selection committee which decides induction is presided over by Chief Secretary and such other members as may be nominated by the Government in this behalf from time to time.
Technical quota enables the Government to select officers for KAS induction from amongst the persons of exceptional ability and merit serving in connection with the affairs of the State in departments/ services other than those covered under clause (b) carrying pay scale equivalent, to, or higher than, the time scale of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service, on the recommendations of the concerned administrative departments: Provided that only such persons shall be eligible for consideration who have not attained the age of 54 years on Ist January of the year in which the recommendation in this behalf is sought by the General Administration Department (GAD). |
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