Adil Lateef
Srinagar, May 30: The State’s Fire and Emergency Services Department, which is struggling due to skeletal gazetted and non-gazetted staff, has engaged 40 clerks for operational duties after disengaging them from clerical work in Kashmir.
A senior official of the department, insisting not to be named, said the decision was taken in view of the growing staff crunch and retirement of 43 personnel last year. “For the last many years, the F&ES Department is crumbling at operational level due to acute shortage of manpower. In order to augment the manpower, these 40 officials were shifted to operational duties essentially at station level to augment the manpower,” he said.
The official said there is urgent need for recruitment process to overcome the shortage. “All the 1200 posts lying vacant in the department should be filled as soon as possible. In case the process is not initiated, the operational capabilities of the department shall crumble,” he said, adding that any delay in the non-fulfillment of the vacant posts can lead to substantial damage.
Stating that more clerical staff would be engaged in operational duties, the senior official of the F&ES said that since annual Amarnath Yatra is approaching, the burden on the department increases which further aggravates the situation of the firemen. “There are certain employees in the department who evade their duties. Only yesterday, we suspended nine of our men at Baramulla. We will tighten nose around those who do not perform their duties well,” the official added.
The official informed that 18 fire units would be kept functional throughout the annual Amarnath Yatra period both in Kashmir as well as in Jammu. “But majority of these units are in Kashmir. So, we have to allot more men for these units,” he said, adding “Our existing operational staff is also facing extreme difficulties due to lack of sufficient manpower.”
The State’s F&ES Department from past several years has been crying for official attention but Government has failed to address its issues including primary issue of staff shortage. The F&ES recently stated in State’s High Court that “the department…in view of the acute shortage of manpower is at a breaking stage and in order to provide succor, needs immediate attention of authorities by way of strengthening of existing manpower requirements…”
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