VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: With outgoing government rushing to get the panel of Chairman and Members of Public Service Commission (PSC) cleared by the Election Commission of India, Bhartiya Janata Party and Pensioners Association have resented the move, saying the matter should be left to the new government, which will be in place late next month.
“The government, which has lost the confidence of the people, have degraded the PSC as a political institution by sorting out names in the Congress-National Conference Co-ordination Committee”, said BJP General Secretary Susheel Sudan, while talking to STATE TIMES, adding that the statutory organisation should not be allowed to become rehabilitation centre for retired bureaucrats.
“We want PSC to be a vibrant organisation with people of integrity holding reins as it involves the future of thousands of unemployed youth”, he said adding that the Governor N. N Vohra is seized of the matter. He expressed the hope that Election Commission of India will not oblige the government, the coalition partners of which are openly leveling charges of nepotism and corruption against each other.
The BJP General Secretary said the Coalition Government has made mockery of the system.
Talking to STATE TIMES, N. D Sharma, President of the Pensioners Association has expressed surprise over political executives remaining in look out of the retired or retiring favourites to accommodate them in various public institutions with sinister motives. He urged the ECI to exercise its prerogative and stall the proposal of the Coalition Government.
Sources told STATE TIMES that a section of bureaucracy is also against several names approved for appointment. “It is obligatory for the government to have the exercise with regard to integrity clearance of the prospective candidates ready before submitting the memo to Cabinet”, a senior officer told on the condition of anonymity, adding that it seems the matter was rushed because of impending announcement of elections by the Election Commission of India and the term of the Coalition Government coming to an end.
On 11th October, the State Cabinet approved the names of Khurshid Ahmad Ganaie, IAS, Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce Department, J and K, as Chairman besides Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmad, IAS, Secretary to the Government, Higher Education Department, Mukherjeet Sharma, IFS (Retd), B. R Lachotra, Director General, Economics and Statistics, Wali Mohammad Bhat, Director General, Accounts and Treasuries (retd), Dr Tejit Singh, Prof Ophthalmology (Retd) and Dr Farooq Ahmad Kaloo, Director, Animal Husbandry (Retd) as Members of the Commission.
