New probation rules be applied retrospectively: Altaf Bukhari

JK News Today 
 
SRINAGAR, June 25:

 Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday said the withdrawal and re-advertisement of posts by the government in view of the modified probation clauses of SRO 202 is bound to create anarchy and frustration among lakhs of candidates who have crossed the upper age limit.
 
In a statement issued here, Bukhari demanded that the modified version of SRO 202 by virtue of which, the probation period of fresh recruits in government sector has been reduced from five to two years should be applied to all those candidates who have already applied for the government posts and are held up at various stages of recruitment process since 2015.
 
He said the latest government decision to withdraw and re-advertise its posts is highly detrimental to careers of lakhs of youth in J&K who have already applied for jobs since 2015 and are awaiting written tests and interviews. “It is highly unfortunate that the government seems hell-bent to destroy the careers of J&K youth by issuing provocative and contentious orders, day in and day out,” Bukhari observed.
 
He remarked that the GAD’s re-advertisement order dated June 19, 2020 is bereft of any logic and reason as most of the candidates who have already applied for government jobs in response to the advertisements issued since 2015 and are by now over aged have been rendered ineligible for the fresh recruitment processes.
 
“How will the government compensate such over aged youth who were desperately waiting for the job opportunities and have now been rendered ineligible? What about their families who had pinned their hopes on them. Since the fresh order has been issued without application of mind, the government should immediately withdraw it in order to provide a sigh of relief to the affected candidates,” he demanded.
 
The JKAP president reiterated his demand for complete revocation of SRO 202 saying that the present government has continued with draconian provisions of this SRO which are detrimental to the interest of employees and unemployed youth of J&K.
 
“While the amendment to SRO 202 which had reduced the probation period from five to two years is welcome, the other controversial clauses in SRO continue to be disadvantageous for the employees and unemployed youth,” he observed.
 
He said that the government should completely withdraw the SRO 202 as according to its other clauses the old appointees beside the new recruits would become non-transferable at least for five years. “If the SRO 202 continues to be in vogue in its present form, the employees governed by this rule would not be promoted in the first five years of their services as well. This is unprecedented and no such rules exist anywhere in the country except for J&K. This dichotomy needs to be removed forthwith,” Bukhari demanded.  
 
The JKAP president said that by reducing the period of probation from five to two years only, the government has retained and continued with the harsh clauses of SRO 202 in the new recruitment policy.
 
“The youth of J&K not only feel ditched by the present dispensation but seem to be genuine in nurturing apprehensions about double standards and contradictions in government of India’s approach towards people of J&K,” Bukhari observed.