Youth call for joint Comm till new created
*J&K closes doors for Ladakhis with domicile eligibility
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 8: The Central Government and Union Territory (UT) administration of Ladakh have been unable to constitute the Public Service Commission (PSC) for Ladakh even after two and a half years of making Himalayan region as the UT depriving many educated unemployed youth from becoming the Gazetted Officers.
The Jammu and Kashmir PSC has also fixed the eligibility `domiciles of J&K’ for applying for the posts of Gazetted officers including cadre posts of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) among others.
In view of this, the youth of Ladakh, which was once part of Jammu and Kashmir before being made a Union Territory on August 5, 2019, can’t apply for posts advertised by the J&K PSC.
“Two and half years is quite a long time to set up the PSC. Both the Central Government as well as the UT Administration of Ladakh have failed educated youth of Ladakh by not constituting the Ladakh PSC for such a long time and, thus, depriving educated youth from becoming the Gazetted Officers,” some of the aggrieved youth told the Excelsior.
Citing example of the bifurcation of Punjab and Haryana in 1966, they said both the States had joint PSC till the two States set up their own PSCs.
“The joint PSC fulfilled requirements of both Haryana and Punjab till the States got separate PSCs,” the youth said and asked: “Why this experiment wasn’t repeated in case of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at the time of their bifurcation”?
Regretting that not even a single Ladakhi has become Gazetted Officer from UT (other than All India Services whose exams are taken by the Union Public Service Commission), the youth wanted to know that when there can be joint High Court and Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education for J&K and Ladakh, why can’t there be joint PSC for benefit of Ladakhis?
Moreover, they said the posts being advertised by J&K PSC have been specifically mentioning the eligible candidates as ‘domiciles of J&K’. Now Ladakhis are no more domiciles of J&K and, therefore, they can’t even apply for PSC posts in J&K UT, the youth pointed out describing it as biggest discrimination with them by Central Government and UT Ladakh administration.
“Grant of UT status to Ladakh is alright. This was our demand which has been fulfilled by the Centre but that doesn’t mean that youth should be deprived of the jobs so brazenly as it being done presently,” they said.
They expressed hope that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ladakh UT administration will take immediate steps to constitute PSC of Ladakh to start UT Cadre Services and filling up of other posts of Gazetted Officers from amongst the Ladakhis.
It may be mentioned here that number of JKAS, JKPS, JKFS and other officers from Jammu and Kashmir have been posted in Ladakh on deputation in the absence of local officers there.
“It makes no sense in depriving the eligible candidates of UT Ladakh from appearing in the exam of J&K PSC when both the administration of UT J&K and UT Ladakh agreed upon ‘Joint Services/Cadres’ of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS), Jammu and Kashmir Police (Gazetted) Service (JKPS) and Jammu and Kashmir Forest (Gazetted) Service for Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union territory of Ladakh, for posting the qualified candidates of JK Combined Competitive Exam,” the youth said.
They said there is still a window available for both the administrations of UT J&K and UT Ladakh to amend and provide a deserved opportunity of appearing in the JK Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2022 to the eligible candidates of UT Ladakh.
“The aspirants are still in the hope of this amendment yet the hopes are diminishing day by day as the authorities are silent on this serious matter,” they added.
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