‘Irregular’ Zonal Education Officers

Regularisation or confirmation in service of employees serving in Jammu and Kashmir after putting in active service of even a decade is purely subject to the whims and desires of the administration instead of there being a clear cut, well defined and transparent policy. Nearly 1400 Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) in UT Education Department are waiting since 2011 for being ”regularised” and continue with the current status of “irregulars” – seems really incredible. A classical case of red-tape and those authorities who matter and are vested with requisite powers reportedly do not feel inclined to dispose off the pending cases of these employees. Not only are the concerned employees feeling dejected but they nurse resentments over such an approach of delays and deferments preferred by the concerned authorities.
The extent of inertia prevailing in the decision taking structure of the administration can be gauged with most of the concerned ZEOs being either on the brink of attaining the age of superannuation or having already attained the same. Not only that, such an indifferent and indecisive bureaucratic approach has brought in its wake many of them having passed away while keeping an unending wait for their “irregular” status in service converted into “regular” one. The funny thing about the issue is that most of these personnel were promoted from the previous cadre or rank but not regularised. While there are vacant posts, those are not filled but ad-hoc and makeshift arrangements are made . Any administrative structure, if suffering from ambivalent and undecided syndrome in respect of decision making process is worth not being called an effective administration.