Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 11: There seems no end to the grievance of Purmandal residents, who are running from pillar to post for getting the office of their Zonal Education Officer shifted to the place for which it was sanctioned more than three and half decades ago.
Though it may sound bizarre, there is fact that the ZEO office Purmandal has been functioning at Kunjwani Chowk Jammu since 1991, that too from a rented building. Prior to this, the office had been functioning at Government Middle School Bari Brahmana on its inception in 1982.
Even as residents of Purmandal have been pressing hard for shifting of the ZEO office to the place for which it was sanctioned, the officers at the helm of affairs in School Education Department did not pay heed to the demand.
In a bid to pacify the protesting people, an arrangement was evolved last year, according to which a temporary camp office was established in Purmandal for two days in every week to sort out problems of locals.
However, this arrangement continued only for a few months as this camp office was also closed without assigning any reason by the authorities, thereby forcing the locals to once against approach the Director School Education few months back seeking his intervention.
The application was treated as a complaint in the Directorate and the Chief Education Officer Samba was directed through communication number DSEJ/MW/ Gen/321/2016-2017/63116-17, dated 21-01-2017 to conduct an in-depth enquiry in the matter and furnish a factual report along with the specific comments within three days.
The said communication was followed by series of reminders bearing number DSEJ/Gen/2017/ 66971 dated 14-02-2017 and number DSEJ/MW/G-321/2017/ 8118-20, dated 17-03-2017 with strict instructions for immediate submission of the report.
According to the latest communication by ZEO Purmandal to the CEO Samba in response to Director School Education’s letter with regard to complaint of Purmandal residents, the ZEO claims that on December 22, 2015, he had discussed the matter of shifting of the office with Minister for Industries, who had directed to establish the ZEO office at suitable convenient place
Ironically, there was no answer by the ZEO to the specific query of the Director that whether any permission regarding the shifting of the office to Kunjwani was sought from the Directorate and if not, then under whose direction, the decision to shift the office was taken?
When contacted, Director School Education S Ravinder Singh said that he was giving a serious look to the matter and ensure that genuine issue of the Purmandal people is addressed.
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