The Horticulture department Friday decided to withdraw the 221 horticulture technician Grade-IV posts earlier advertised by J&K Service Selection Board (SSB).
The move comes days after the horticulture graduates of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Science and Technology (SKUAST)-Kashmir staged a protest over what they termed as “flawed” recruitment rules framed by the government for filling up various posts in government departments.
Greater Kashmir earlier reported about the grievances of the students who were on protest for three consecutive days at the Shalimar campus of SKUAST-Kashmir.
The protesting students were demanding the government to re-advertise the posts and “rectify” the eligibility criteria while seeking written assurance from the university administration and the government that their grievance would be addressed.
Following this, the Horticulture department decided to withdraw the posts referred to SSB vide department’s letter No Horti/56/2017 dated January 14, 2021 and advertised by JKSSB on February 3.
“I am directed to refer you to this department’s letter No Horti/56/2017 dated 14 January 2021 and convey the withdrawal of all the 211 posts of Horticulture Technician Grade-IV advertised by J&K Service Selection Board vide Advertisement No 01 of 2021 dated 3 February 2021,” reads the letter addressed to Secretary SSB.
Chairman SSB Khalid Jehangir also confirmed the development and said the Horticulture department had withdrawn the 211 posts earlier advertised by SSB.
Earlier, the horticulture graduates accused the government of ruining their career saying that one-year diploma holders (BHT) were kept eligible for Horticulture Technician-IV posts whereas professional degree holders (B Sc Horticulture graduates) were not kept eligible.
“Such blunders in eligibility criteria by the higher-ups in the administration has left the unemployed horticulture professionals in a state of despair,” a protesting student alleged and demanded that withdrawal of these posts till the eligibility was “rectified as per the justified eligibility criteria”.