Kashmir
Dispatch: Srinagar: Friday, 29 August 2014.
In violation
of rules, the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) has filled dozens of post
as apprentice engineers in the Corporation without any advertisement, a Right
To Information has revealed.
Surprisingly
the Corporation without referring these posts to any of the government
recruiting agency obtained approval of then Minister for Transport, who
happened to be the Chairman of the SRTC.
"The
basic records of the hired candidates are not forthcoming, however, as per
available records it appears that no proper advertisement seems to have been
issued by the Corporation,” replied the department to the Right to Information
(RTI) application filed by one of the candidates, who has sought information
regarding the appointment of engineers in SRTC without any government
recruiting agency.
The
department has neither clear record traceable nor any consolidated information
with regard to the number of apprentice engineers engaged from time to time in
the department. The department has also admitted that some of the selected
engineers have been terminated after discrepancies were found in their
certificates and at least 12 candidates were sent on deputation on Motor
Vehicle Department as Motor Vehicle Inspectors.
General
Manager, Administration, JKSRTC also replied in written after an information
was sought under RTI application No. JKSRTC/GMA/PS/J/337, dated 04/03/2014 that
the apprentice engineers initially were engaged on consolidated wages in
1996-97 and then were regularized as Junior Inspectors in 10/2002.
The documents
reveal that one of the candidates who is JE Mechanical PWD (R&B) have been
placed at the disposal of Transport Department vide Government order No 24
PW(R&B) of 2010 dated 22/01/2010 issued by the Public Works (R&B)
Department under endorsement No PW/M&S/30/2005 dated 22/12/2009 for his
posting in Motor Vehicle Department for a period of two years which expired on
21/01/2012.
“The JE was
posed in MVD and Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) despite not having license for
Heavy Passenger Service Vehicle (HPSV), which was mandatory qualification for
the said post,” RTI revealed. The RTI documents also revealed that the former
Regional Transport Officer, Kashmir had failed to produce video graph of the
trial held on 2/7/2013 when he MVI has given trial for HMSV. “It is informed
that video graph facility for recording trial was not available at the trial
Centre Srinagar on 2/7/2013 when he has given trial,” the Regional Transport
Officer replied to an RTI application.