Srinagar, Jan 12: The Service Selection Board (SSB) in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered confusion among hundreds of candidates who intend to apply for various posts that the recruitment agency has advertised recently.
 While the advertisement notice clearly mentions that the relevant circles in the application forms should be darkened completely by ball-point pens, instructions on the forms bar usage of ball-point pens.
 The advertisement notice No. 08 of 2010 reads: “Please write in English capitals and English numerals in rectangular boxes with blue of black ball point pen only without touching the borders. The relevant circles should be darkened completely by ball-point pens (Don’t use pencil or ink pen for the purpose). Any application form incomplete in any respect shall be liable to rejection without notice.”
 But the instructions on the application form read: “Darken the circles by HB pencils (Don’t use ball point pen or ink pen. The circles should be darkened completely.”
 The confusion in the two missives has in turn caused panic among the aspirants, who accuse the SSB of putting them to immense inconvenience.
 “I am not able to decide whether I have to use the ball-point pen or pencil. I am regularly visiting the office for the past five days, asking them to clarify the issue. But they are instead dilly-dallying,” said a group of candidates applying for various engineering posts. “There is complete chaos in the SSB office. The aspirants are made to roam from pillar to post for want of clarification. It is highly condemnable that the job seekers are treated so badly.”
 On Wednesday, the candidates approached this newspaper, urging the SSB authorities to clear the mess. “The SSB must issue a press clarification on the issue. After all it is the question of thousands of unemployed who are being taken for a ride for none of their fault. Can’t the office issue a small clarification?” said Zahid, a candidate. “The office is spending earns millions of rupees against the applications. But it is sad to observe that they can’t spend Rs 1000 on issuing a clarification through press.”
 The candidates fear rejection of forms if they use either pencil or pen. “The advertisement notice has been issued on December 27 and the application forms were issued from December 30. For the past 11 days, hundreds of candidates thronged the office with unfilled application forms just because there was this pencil-pen confusion. Students who visited from far-flung areas were asked to go back till the clarification is issued. But so far they are yet to clear the mess,” said Gowhar Majeed, an aspirant from Baramulla. “I visited the office thrice in the past week, but every time I was asked to come again. It is shameful that the state government is trifling with the career of hundreds of candidates, notwithstanding the grave unemployment crisis in the Valley.”
 While the SSB seems to be itself confused, it has advised the candidates to go through the dummy application form minutely before filling the actual form. “It is a blatant threat which is barring students from filling the application forms. This is sheer mismanagement on part of SSB, which is uncalled for,” Majeed said, urging the recruitment agency to come out with a statement on the issue.

‘USE PEN, NOT PENCIL’
 When contacted the SSB chairman, B D Bhagat, admitted there was confusion over the issue. “Actually if the students use pencil, it can be altered by any mischievous person. So the students have to use pen while filling the application form,” he told Greater Kashmir.
 Elaborating, Bhagat said: “Actually we had issued some forms earlier wherein this pencil reference had appeared. But after that we issued some new forms wherein we have asked the candidates to use pen. I assure you that I will instruct my officials to issue a press clarification in this regard immediately.”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Jan 2011 00:00:00 IST