Is Jammu university dancing to the tunes of tainted politicians? Recruitment notice and rules changed many times
SALIL RAINA / ASHUTOSH KHANNA
(POONCH TODAY NEWS)
JAMMU: High profile Jammu university, which remained in limelight on many bad issues, is again in news and this time for changing the recruitment notice and rules time and again, just to please its one of the age old tainted political bosses. A high profile politician who remained at important political and administrative positions on the mercy of those political parties, who ruled the state mostly, has been trying his best to adjust his very close one in Jammu university on the post of Campus Development Officer. Its shocking that, authorities of Jammu university changed the notification and criteria many times, just to adjust top politician’s close one. It is pertinent to mention here that Jammu university, advertised a post of Campus Development Officer, vide no Adm/C7R/14/111-1160 dated 06-06-2014 in the pay scale of 15600-39000 with grade pay of 5400. Criteria for the post was fixed as good academic record plus Master’s Degree with at least 55%(50% in case of SC/ST) of the marks or its equivalent grade of B in UGC seven point scale with “Desireable” minimum five years experience of dealing with offsite campuses. For the information of candidates who applied for the post of Campus Development Officer, Jammu university announced the syllabus for the same and directed the students to check it on the website and date of written test for various posts including Campus Development officer was fixed on March 5,6,8 and 20, 2017, but under political influence, it was again rescheduled to 9, July 2017. Two days ahead of scheduled written test, Jammu university issued a notice in a leading daily and declared that “the written test for the post of Campus Development officer stands postponed.” Now, the question arises, why Jammu university authorities played this trick to hoodwink those meritorious students who applied for the same post? It seems that university was running on the influence of the very politician whose close one was to be adjusted for the said post. To settle the dust, which arose after deferring the written test, Jammu university took more than two years and again re-advertised the post vide no Estab/NTW/C&R/19/292 dated 02-09-2019 to please its political bosses and invited the candidates to apply again with a direction to those candidates who applied as per the earlier notification, need not to apply again and with “Essential” minimum five years experience of dealing with offsite campuses. The word “Desirable” in earlier notification changed with the word “Essential” in latest notification of September 2019 just to help close one of the said politician. University fixed the date of interview on 28-10-2019, but ironically, the written test thrown out and only four candidates were short listed(Including two candidates from writ petition) for whom the criteria was changed and called for interview. Interestingly, few days back, two candidates who applied vide earlier notification approached Hon’ble Court seeking direction to Jammu university authorities for conducting their interview and court gave order in their favour directing the university to conduct their interview with a direction not to announce result. Only four candidates were interviewed, but those 27 candidates who fail to approach court, were not called for interview and this shows all the drama was played to adjust blue eyed close one of a tainted politician. When contacted on the issue, Registrar, Jammu University, R.K Ganjoo, said, “I cannot comment on this issue as the mater is sub judice.” It shows that university is being run with the influence of politicians and authorities of Jammu university have no role in the proper functioning of the academic affairs. With such acts, the top institution of the J&K is losing its faith in the eyes of common man as far as transparency is concerned. Government needs to address this issue on priority to restore peoples’ faith in the affairs of Jammu University.
