EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, July 3: J&K government recently announced to amend the rules for recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir Police, Fire Force and Prisons (Subordinate).
The Departmental Recruitment Boards looking after the employment process of these organizations have been substituted by the Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (SSB) which shall make all the appointments to non-gazetted ranks by direct recruitment.
With such a development, the hopes of hundreds of youths aspiring to don the ‘khaki’ were rekindled. However, their elation was short-lived as there was only a change in the recruitment process and no alteration with respect to the relaxation in upper age limit had been mentioned in the notification issued by the government.
Several youth, who had crossed the upper age limit of 28 years fixed for applying for the posts of Sub Inspectors (SIs) in J&K Police, were rooting for granting relaxation in upper age limit and they were making frentic efforts in this regard.
But the notification issued for the 800 posts of SIs in J&K Police has left them high and dry as these posts are up for grab only for those who are 28 years old or less, that too, by the end of January 2021.
Speaking to Early Times, several youth who were aspiring to be in police said that they were seeking relaxation only because the posts of Sub Inspectors had been notified after quite a long time, extra attempt with an upper age limit might have helped them to apply and then qualify, adding that it would have provided them a much awaited opportunity to serve the police department.
"Though government made a historic decision to replace Departmental Recruitment Boards with the SSB and scrapping interview for the posts of SIs but we were really disappointed with no relaxation in upper age limit, had been hoping that it will be granted," several youth told Early Times.
"We were running from pillar to post to seek relaxation in upper age limit but denying it is a grave injustice meted out to scores of youth of Jammu and Kashmir who were waiting for the recruitment process for the SI posts," they added.
One of the youth wishing anonymity says that the age relaxation clause was meant to compensate for the time lost due to various reasons including delay in recruitment exercise, conflict in the region for years and now Covid pandemic.
"In absence of the age relaxation clause, several youth preparing for SI post have already crossed the upper age limit to appear in the upcoming recruitment process," said the dejected youth.
The youth further said that he and several others had applied and appeared in the last recruitment process for SIs held in 2016 for the first time, adding that if the age criteria had been relaxed then they could have got another chance to try their luck.
"Our pleas have fallen onto deaf ears. We were only seeking a one time relaxation in upper age limit so that we could compete for another time. But no change in age eligibility has plunged the youth like me into a dark pit,” said the aggrieved youth.
|
