Fresh recruitment frozen till decision on domicile to locals

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 3

As the recruitment notification issued by the J&K High Court had triggered a big controversy, the administration of the Union Territory (UT) of J&K has virtually frozen fresh recruitment till the Centre takes the final decision on “granting” domicile to the locals.

Notifications for fresh recruitment in different government departments will be issued only after final decision on the “domicile-like option” or “other arrangements” will be taken.

Highly placed sources told The Tribune said higher-ups of all government departments had given verbal directions not to issue any recruitment notice for the “time being” because the Union Government was mulling taking some steps to “protect” land and job rights of the locals.

“The departments have also directed not to refer any post to recruitment agencies like the JK Service Selection Board (JKSSB) for the time being,” a source said.

On December 26, 2019, the J&K High Court had issued recruitment notice which had opened jobs for the non-residents of J&K and Ladakh. The High Court had invited applications for filling 33 posts, including eight posts of senior scale stenographer, 10 posts of junior scale stenographer, four posts of steno-typist, nine posts of drivers, and one each of compositor and electrician.

A massive controversy had erupted the very next day after the issuance of the notice as political and social organisations vociferously opposed the move to open jobs for non-locals. These groups warned that the opening of jobs to outsiders was unacceptable and announced to launch agitation against the “failure of the government to protect job rights of local unemployed youths”.

Keeping in view the anger of the people, the J&K High Court, on December 31, withdrew the recruitment notice which opened jobs for the non-residents of J&K and Ladakh to pacify the enraged lot. December 26 was first recruitment notification after the bifurcation of J&K into two UTs and the abrogation of Article 370.

Not only the opposition parties, even the J&K unit of the BJP is also mounting pressure on the Centre to make some arrangements to protect jobs and land rights of locals like Himachal Pradesh and north-eastern states.