Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 28: Former Finance Minister Syed Mohd Altaf Bukhari today censured the sinister designs being carried out to play with the careers of many educated unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking serious cognizance of scrapping of recruitment process of 250 Probationary Officers and 1,200 Banking Associates in J&K Bank, Bukhari said that the exercise had started and concluded under Governor’s rule and not under any political Government in the erstwhile State.
“Two years after this three phase examination was conducted that too, in Governor SP Malik’s tenure, which drove lakhs of qualified aspirants from all the regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the present dispensation has shamelessly declared that process as null and void. It is simply disgusting that it took J&K administration two years to reveal what it has now termed as ‘legal infirmities’ found in that recruitment process,” Bukhari remarked.
He said that the latest Government action is without any reason or rationale. “The latest move of the LG led administration has corroborated the prevailing perceptions among people of both divisions of Jammu and Kashmir that the careers and talent of our youth is being crushed under a well thought out and a planned manner,” he added.
He demanded that the fresh recruitment in Jammu and Kashmir Bank be based on rationalization and district wise. “Just allowing applicants who had appeared in cancelled recruitment process for the fresh recruitment is not enough. The Government must give some weightage to these candidates and conclude the new recruitment process without any further delay,” he advocated.
The former minister observed that deliberate attempts are being made to malign the image of Jammu and Kashmir Bank which is a reputed economic institution of the erstwhile State and has always acted as a reliable cushion for J&K’s economy.
“Contrary to these assurances of the country’s top leadership, in J&K we see the ACB not reaching to any conclusion for the last two years. If at all, there are any serious allegations of favouritism and financial impropriety against JK Bank, the ACB must not stretch its investigations illogically and conclude it in a time bound manner,” Bukhari added.