Robbing Peter to Pay Paul:Department of RD&PR throw all service and promotion rules to winds as three junior most JKAS officers placed as District Panchayat Officers
Government Order No 216-JK (RD&PR) of 2012 dated 25-08-2022 has brazenly violated SRO 285 of Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development (Gazette) Service Recruitment Rules 2003
Inayat Qayoom
Srinagar: Throwing all service rules and promotion laws to winds, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj have placed three Junior Scale Officer of JKAS as District Panchayat Officers which is brazen violation of service recruitment rules and SRO 285.
Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj has issued an order bearing No 216-JK (RD&PR) of 2012 dated 25-08-2022 (copy of which lies with SNS Kashmir) which reads, “Consequent upon the placement of the services of Junior Scale Officers of JKAS at the disposal of this Department by General Administration Department vide Government Order No. 865-JK(GAD) of 2022 dated: 22.07.2022 and subsequent to their joining and in the interest of administration, the following adjustments/transfers/ postings are hereby ordered with immediate effect.”
The senior most officers working the department were shell shocked after figuring out that newly appointed junior most JKAS officers of 2020 batch figuring at S. No 12 and 13 in the order have been directly promoted as District Panchayat Officers which they allege is brazen violation of the Civil Service Recruitment Rules and hierarchical order followed by the department since inception.
“ Ironically, an In-charge BDO, figuring at S.No 35, has also been promoted as District Panchayat Officer Srinagar.Now the senior most officers have to report to the junior most officers who have no experience or training in the department which is irony and violation of law,” said a group of officers who found their juniors promoted as DPOs.
As per notification of issued in Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development (Gazette) Service Recruitment Rules 2003 vide SR0 285, District Panchayat Officer is to be appointed by promoting Block Development Officer, Field Sanitation Officer, Area Development Officer, however, Department of RD and PR directly appointed junior most officers as District Panchayat Officers which allegedly include some ‘blue eyed’, sources in the department said.
Sources in the department said that this has happened for the first time that junior most officers are made ‘bosses’ to senior most offices who in the department with huge experience and trainings.
Now it remains to see how Commissioner Secretary RD and PR will fix the responsibility by finding how the junior most officers are promoted as DPO which has put question marks on the implementation of service and promotion rules governing the department.