Authorities have selected allegedly ineligible candidates for the posts of motor vehicle inspector, documents sought under right to information act reveal.
The divisional cadre posts of motor vehicle inspector in transport department Kashmir were advertised by service selection board vide its notification 01 of 2013 on 16 February 2013.
As per the criteria laid down for the post, a candidate must have completed degree or 3-year diploma in automobile engineering, or degree or 3-year diploma in mechanical engineering.
It further stipulated that the candidate must have working experience of at least one year in a reputed automobile workshop which undertakes repairs of both light motor vehicles, heavy goods vehicles and heavy passenger motor vehicles fitted with petrol and diesel and heavy passenger motor vehicle.
Besides, the candidate must hold a driving license authorising him to drive motorcycle, heavy good vehicles and heavy passenger vehicle.
After completing the test for the post, the SSB issued a selection list in 2017 in which some ineligible candidates were allegedly selected.
Being aggrieved by the selection list, some candidates who were not selected approached the authorities under RTI seeking details of the selection.
The details they have been given under the RTI reveal that many candidates selected allegedly did not fulfil the criteria.
One of the selected candidates, as per the information given under RTI, for example, has submitted experience certificate showing he has one year experience in 2013, the year he completed his degree. “Under rules, the candidate must have one year experience after he/she has completed the degree,” the aggrieved candidates said.
The candidate in question, in his application form has mentioned, he has done his mechanical engineering and is working as inspector in the workshop since 4 April 2010. But his degree certificate mentions that he has completed his course in 2013.
Another selected candidate shows his date of birth as per the certificate issued by the J&K board of school education. But the date of birth mentioned in his driving license is different.
“As per rules, any variation in the date of birth recorded in the school records with that of the driving licence makes a candidate’s application form or selection for the post liable to be rejected,” said the group of aggrieved candidates.
Another candidate has not allegedly fulfilled the requisite criteria of having driving license when he applied for the post.
Another candidate has allegedly submitted two certificates of experience, the first certificate as mechanic from June 2011 to February 2013 and second as technician from 1 May 2013 to 15 October 2015.
However, the candidate’s degree certificate shows that he was pursuing his course in Punjab University which he completed in 2012.
The aggrieved candidates have submitted repeated representations to the competent authorities “but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” they said.
When contacted incumbent SBB chairman said: “I will have to check the facts.”