Srinagar, June 14: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference on Wednesday expressed concern over the plight of Fire & Emergency services aspirants and demanded that the report of a committee probing alleged irregularities in the recruitment process be made public.
Echoing the sentiments of the protesting youth, the party’s State Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, J&K had advertised 900 posts in 2013, in which the department had to select 726 firemen and 174 Fireman Drivers.
“After going through the physical and written tests in the year 2013-14, the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, J&K failed to publish the selection list because the government had found too many irregularities like corruption, paper leak and favouritism and as such the home department in the year 2017 cancelled this recruitment. Some candidates approached the High Court, which directed the Department of Fire & Emergency Services to start the whole recruitment process from the first phase through a transparent recruitment process,” he said.
Imran lamented that the department, after a gap of almost five years, instead of increasing the number of posts, decreased 210 posts in 2018 when the department started the recruitment process once again as per the court directions. “In 2018, the candidates went through the physical test and written test. Still, unfortunately, just like in 2013, things like mass copying, favouritism, paper leak, and other unfair means were used by the blue-eyed candidates,” he said.
“Again the candidates approached the court, and the High Court directed officials to look into the allegations some candidates had regarding mass copying, impersonation, and other unfair means used by candidates during the written examination. After scrutinizing, the home department found many irregularities in the written exam, conducted in 2018. As such, the home department cancelled the written exam and directed the department to conduct the examination once again, and it was also ordered by the private agency,” he said, adding, “On the 20th of September 2020, the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, J&K, conducted the examination through a new private agency. In 2020, when the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, J&K made the selection list of 690 candidates public, it was found that a large number of irregularities had taken place in the selection process.”
Imran further said, “The aggrieved aspirants who approached the LG administration were assured that their grievances will be addressed. As per the aspirants, a three-member committee was formed which was supposed to submit the report in 30 days. It is unfortunate that even after six months, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has not made the report public. We demand that it should be made public so that those who are responsible for ruining the future of students are punished.”
