Border battalions

What can one say about the likely reasons, if not alibi, for the State Administration, in particular the Home Department and Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters for going quite sluggishly and in an apparent disinclined way in respect of raising two police battalions for border districts of the state even after eight months of sanction for such recruitment having been given by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Not only this, even the State Administrative Council (SAC) gave its nod five months back to the much hyped proposal of starting the process of the requisite recruitment. It may be recalled that Home Department, in consultation with Jammu and Kashmir Police Headquarters, formulated a proposal for raising two border battalions of Jammu and Kashmir Police comprising 2014 posts of various categories late last year and with the approval of the competent authority , the same was forwarded to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in January this year for consideration which was sanctioned by them in early March .The deadline was fixed by the Union Home Ministry for the entire process to be completed by Dec 29, 2018 which, by the pace of the developments in the recruitment process, is unlikely to be met.
The reasons for all this conundrum are not that difficult to know as we are given to understand that undue delay in submission of draft guidelines in connection with selection of candidates for these battalions to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has played the spoilsport. The Union Home Ministry, while readily according sanction, had laid down certain conditions which inter- alia, included that the eligibility criteria for the candidates should be clearly outlined while notifying the vacancies. Further, it was conveyed that the guidelines in connection with selection of the candidates for these battalions may be got approved from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. It can be inferred that the main function of the exercise rested with the state authorities and only the guidelines with selection had to be sent to the Union Ministry to see most probably how much similarity were there in respect of such recruitments as prevalent in other states but with full regard to the situation and requirements of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, since much was not be done that took the State Home Department as well as the Police Head Quarters as many as eight months in preparation of these guidelines which were forwarded only in late October this year to the Union Home Ministry . What exhaustive document in respect of the much vexed “guidelines” was to be drafted that for appointing just 2014 posts, the entire top machinery of the State Home Department as well as the Police authorities “hard pressed” themselves for eight long months, is not known. However, the Union Ministry, within days of the receipt of the communication, reverted to the State authorities suggesting certain amendments in the proposed guidelines, especially in respect of 0 to 10 kms issue, particularly with regard to posts for Leh and Kargil districts where criteria for recruitment could be relaxed looking to the ambiguity of availability of sufficient candidates for the recruitment process. The ball is rolling between the State Home Department and the PHQ and the entire process getting completed and recruitment made by December 29, 2018 is unlikely, if not very difficult. The question is as to who caused so much delay and why?

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