Directorate of Skill Development Department has suppressed authority of government

Pay Scam!

• Bring to book the nefarious scammer who has caused financial loss to the public exchequer.

JJ CORRESPONDENT

Jammu, Jun 27: How can a Director of Skill Development Department, Jammu & Kashmir suppress the authority of the government? Is the Director of Skill Development Department, Jammu & Kashmir has any right to sideline the government authority? What was intention of the then Director of Skill Development Department, Jammu & Kashmir for dodging the government? Why has not the then administrators of Skill Development Department taken the cognizance of this scandal done by the then Director? These are some burning queries agitating in the mind of people and the concerned people must come with answer to quench the people excitement.
Govt. Order No. 111-Edu (Tech) of 2007 Dated 02-08-2007 is about upgradation/redesignation of various categories of posts in the Technical Education Department (Skill Development Department), ITI Sector, with reference to the High Court JK decision dated 02-12-2002 in LPA No.159/ 2001 and in SWP. No.303/2004 Dated 11-03-2005. Means it is about in-service employees. It is also clear, without any opacity or ambiguity, about new recruits: recruited afresh or through promotions to the posts of Junior Instructors now redesignated as Vocational Instructors. Quote the relevant portion only, ” That they shall initially be in the pay scale of Rs. 4000-6000 (pre-revised), (minimum pay scale attached to the post), and thereafter in the pay scale of Rs 6500-10500, after they put in 5 years service (for those having Matric with National Trade Certificate or National Apprenticeship Course and ITI pass). Incumbents having no CTI/ ATI facilities available in their designated trades shall require 7 years experience in that category”.
The Directorate of Technical Education Department (SDD) has been following this order in a fair way as Order No.1005 of 2017 Dated 21-11-2017 is issued after convening the meeting of State Level Departmental Promotion Committee on 14-06-2017. The order reads,” In pursuance to Govt. Order No. 111-Edu (Tech) of 2007 Dated 02-08-2007, the following Vocational Instructors of ITI sector are placed in the pay band of Rs 9,300-34,800 (revised), 6500-10500 (pre-revised) + Grade Pay of Rs 4280 with effect from the date they have completed seven years of service.”
In between, order No. 336 of 2008 dated 26-03-2008 (after issuance of Govt. Order No. 111) is issued by then Director Technical Education, on the behest of Establishment Section, extending the benefit of order no. 111, quoted above, to a particular group of employees who are not yet borne on the strength of the establishment of the department. They don’t exist on the Final Seniority List of Junior Instructors (Vocational Instructors) borne on the strength of Divisional Cadre, Kashmir, issued on 02-06-2022, vide Order No.12 of 2022 by Joint Director Kashmir of SDD as it stood on 13-03-2022.
All of them, enlisted on Order No. 336 of 2008 were proposed for regularisation under Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Special Provisions) Act, 2010, by Directorate, though declared eligible by Empowered Committee but formal regularisation orders have not been issued in their favour by the Adm Deptt, as necessitated by the Act. In addition to that they have been given the benefit with back effect from 2003. As such this order is not in consonance with Govt. Order No. 111 dated 02-08-2007 because those regularised by Empowered Committee under Act 2010 and issued formal orders by the Adm Deptt, as desired under Act, are given and genuinely so, the grade of 4000-6000 (pre-revised) strictly in view of Govt. Order No. 91 Edu – Tech of 2006 Dated 02-08-2006. While as those benefitted by Order no. 336 are getting Rs.25 THOUSAND MORE PAY than those regularised under norms and do exist on the establishment as employees working on substantive post. Plus having back effect from 2003 they (under 336) have been given arrears in Lakhs.
The fidelity of the Director, as issuing authority of Order No. 336 of 2008 is in question. It is in spirit against the Court Order of LPA No. 159. Also it is issued after issuance of Govt Order No. 111 regarding the same subject, so covers part of the same area of responsibility of Govt. It is against natural law. Also questions are raised on the fiduciary duty of DDOs concerned.
The order 336 of 2008, that creates another imparity in the same category of employees and generates circumstances for Vocational Instructors to be some time un-necessarily dragged to the Court for settlement of the uncalled for dispute, should be rolled back and all the undue emoluments given to these “employees” listed below should be recovered from them in the interest of the financial code of conduct under which the DDOs have to work. Those responsible for such a scam should be brought to book and penalised as per the law governing such issues.
The names that figure in Order No 336 of 2008 are as under: Altaf Hussan Hydari, Mtr. Rukhsana Ahad, Mohd Alyas Qurashi, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Mohd Hussain Najar, Ishrat Ahmad Zargar and Nusrat Ahmad Zargar.
The source giving inputs informed that more temporary employees have been given undue benefits under the same analogy and before bringing them in the public domain, the data is being scrutinised for confirmation.