Srinagar, Dec 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC) has been rendered headless for a month since the departure of former Chairman Satish Chandra on November 19, 2023.
The absence of a chairman has thrown the commission into disarray, stalling ongoing recruitment processes, postponing exams repeatedly, and leaving the candidates high and dry.
The J&K government appointed Satish Chandra as Chairman of JKPSC in June 2022 and ordered that he should hold the position of the Chairman, JKPSC, till he attains the age of 62 years.
“He retired on November 19 this year and since then the official work has been hit. The commission cannot go ahead with the recruitment process of the examination without the chairman,” an official said.
The JKPSC has postponed all its exams which were slated post-November 20. Recently, a fresh notification was issued by the JKPSC for the postponement of the exams.
“In continuation to this office notices dated November 9, 2023, and November 24, 2023, this is for the information of all the concerned candidates that the examinations and departmental examinations which were scheduled to be held from December 24, 2023, to January 28, 2024, are hereby postponed till further notice,” reads the JKPSC notice issued on December 15.
“The candidates in their interest, are also advised to be prepared for the exams which can be scheduled at a short notice at the discretion of the commission,” it reads.
The repeated postponement of exams has left the aspirants aghast who say that the abrupt decision to cancel the exams proves costly for them and subjects them to mental disturbance.
“We are doing private jobs or coaching outside Jammu and Kashmir and we book our tickets following the date sheet issued by the JKPSC. But we are continuously disappointed by the commission because of repeated postponement of exams,” said an aspirant.
He said that the money spent on booking air tickets goes to waste.
“We booked our tickets twice but both times it cost us dearly as our exams were postponed,” the aspirants said.
Another group of aspirants who have been selected as Assistant Professors for various subjects like Botany, Psychology, English, and Political Science in the Higher Education Department (HED) complained that the ongoing recruitment process had been stopped for a prolonged time due to the superannuation of the former chairman JKPSC.
“Our files have been stuck with JKPSC for almost a month. We JKPSC Secretary repeatedly but we were told that the Commission cannot process without its chairman,” said a group of selected candidates.
The aspirants have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to personally look into the matter and appoint a new chairman for the commission.
Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar told Greater Kashmir that the matter would be examined.
“The issue is not directly under my purview, but I will get it examined and ensure that the commission gets the chairman as early as possible,” Bhatnagar said.