Govt begins termination of over 1,500 Group D employees

Tribune News Service
Hisar, September 10

The state government has started the process to terminate the services of 1,518 employees of Group D who got employment under the sports quota seven months ago.

Those who will be sacked do not fulfil the eligibility criteria of sportspersons for recruitment as per a fresh notification issued on November 15, 2018. However, they were eligible as per the May 25, 2018, notification of the Sports Department.

The Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) started the process of recruitment in May 2018 which was completed in January this year and the newly recruited employees joined their duties in respective departments.

On July 24, the state government directed selected candidates under the sports quota to submit their gradation certificates by August 31 as per the revised notification for gradation.

Mohit, one of the selected candidates, said, “This is complete injustice, as around 1,200 of the total selected candidates have attained eligibility as per the May 25 notification for sports gradation.”

“After the joining, the government has amended the criteria though fresh notification which is completely wrong. We have also approached the court and taking up the issue with the state authorities, including the sports minister,” he added.

He said these candidates had quit their studies or other job to join the duty after selected by the HSSC. “If we have to quit this job, it will be injustice to us,” adding that some departments, including the Animal Husbandry Department in Kurukshetra, has served termination notices to 11 employees, while the Horticulture Department has withheld the salaries of such employees.

District Sports Officer, Hisar, Satwinder Gill said the Sports Department was issuing gradation to sportspersons who have got selected in various jobs as per the recent policy of the state government. She refused to comment on the gradation policy, adding that it was the job of the state government to frame policies.

New notification

• The HSSC started the recruitment process in May 2018
• In January 2019, 1,518 sportspersons joined as group D employees
• As per May 25, 2018, notification, medal winners at various levels of state games, including state school, are eligible for the Group D posts
• The November 15, 2018, notification excludes state school games and state inter-university games medallists as eligibility for Group D posts