JAMMU: Alleging large scale irregularities, omissions and commissions in the recent transfers of masters and lecturers in Jammu Division, hundreds of Panther Party workers led by Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Education Minister and Yash Paul Kundal State President Young Panthers on Thursday held a demonstration outside the Office of Director School Education.
The protestors raised slogans accusing the department of indulging in large scale violations of norms, highly whimsical and politicised transfers besides allegations of paid transfers. The protestors raised slogans against the top functionaries of Education Department and sought a high level probe into the transfer scam.
Harsh alleged that the Education Department had thrown all norms and procedures to the winds and effected highly irregular transfers which had created all round condemnation in Jammu region. He expressed his dismay that the transfer list of masters and lecturers revealed that dozens of masters had been transferred against non-existent posts while several others were transferred against posts which were to become available in December, 2016 and January 2017. He further pointed out the large scale ‘zero’ km transfers of masters in blatant violation of transfer norms which were reported to have been made on monetary considerations which however needed to be investigated. He said that such zero km transfers besides advance bookings for transfers had fully exposed the hollow claims of the Education Department where transfer mafia still ruled the roost. He said the list of transfers of masters issued last week and available with him indicated that the much trumpeted transfer policy had been blown into smithereens by the reckless officers with no regard whatsoever for the prescribed guidelines. Making a mention of the high drama enacted by the Education Department of conducting ‘Transfer Melas’ of teachers and masters in various Districts requiring the latter to furnish their respective choices for postings, Harsh regretted that the said preferences given by the teachers in said Melas were thrown into the dustbin and transfer orders were issued on whims and fancies of helmsmen besides upon other extraneous considerations. Making a particular mention of District Udhampur, Harsh pointed out that when the masters approached the CEO Udhampur and expressed their indignation over the non consideration of the proposals of transfers finalised in transfer Melas, they were told by the District Education Offices of Udhampur that transfers were issued by the Directorate of School Education without seeking or considering such proposals. He said that it was highly intriguing that while the district level officers and masters were engaged in transfer Melas by the government for making proposals and recommendations for transfer, the Director School Education Office was busy issuing orders in blatant circumvention of the much proclaimed transfer norms.
Singh said that there were several other instances where pre-mature transfer orders had been issued by Director Education without approval of administrative Deptt. which is an essential concomitant of transfer policy thus rendering the whole exercise illegal. He said that transfer policy with regard to single parent and retiring employees was also been blatantly violated. He further pointed out transfer orders having been issued on medical grounds without fulfilling the mandatory requirement of certificate from standing Medical Board. Never before had the Education Department witnessed such mischievous, manipulative and fraudulent transfers, said the former Education Minister.
Urging upon the Chief Minister to take cognisance of the large scale irregularities in such transfers, Singh called for a vigilance or STF probe into the whole gamut of transfers.
Kundal said that not only were the transfers being made allegedly for monetary considerations but the siblings of politicians in the Education Department were being victimized.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Manju Singh, Kesar Parveen, Dev Singh, Rajesh Padgotra, Sham Gorkha, Pavan Dev Singh, Sagar Dev Singh, Sanjay, Ajeet Sharma, Rajinder Singh, Pushvinder Manhas, Shiv Ram Sharma, Dev Raj Sharma, Kulbir Gupta, Sham Lal Gupta, Koushal Bangathir, Dewan Singh, Madan Sharma, Rashpaul Singh, Arjun Dev Singh, Rakesh Singh, Bodh Raj, Prem Sagar and Uttam Singh.