SHILLONG: The CSWO opposed the intention of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat to regularise employees who were appointed through political patronage, which deprives many unemployed youth who are looking for job legally.
The CSWO president, Agnes Kharshiing, in a statement issued to the media, warned the officials that this is a Government of the People and not a house run by one or two, who can make and break rules and procedures.
The Finance Department should not release any funds for the payment of Adhoc employees or regularised illegally in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat or anywhere else, as service rules have to be followed and posts have to be duly advertised giving a chance to everyone to participate and not only to the favoured ones.
“Those in Government knows that service rules have to be framed for all established services in the State of Meghalaya, but time and again in many departments officials including politicians abuse their powers and indulge in favouritism and nepotism and discourage the legitimate rights of direct recruit who struggle and work hard for a Government Job on merit”, the statement said.
According to Kharshiing, Adhoc appointments are time and again allowed in various departments of the State, in order to favour and protect those Adhoc/ temporary employees who are alleged to be relatives and favourites of Ministers and this is a bad policy of the Government and should be immediately addressed.
She said that Government had also set up years back a separate cell in the Personnel and AR (A) Department to deal specifically with framing of Service Rules.
“A proforma was also prepared in this regard by the Personnel and AR (A) Department seeking information to be furnished from all departments of the State, for each established service, but it seems this was ignored and Secretariats were created to evade supervision and allowing illegality affecting thousands of youth applying for jobs, running from pillar to post, searching for Challans, as they have no political patrons and want a job because of their merit”, she added.
According to CSWO, the service rules to be applied have to be formally notified and published in the official Gazette of the Government, but many officials seem to be flouting the norms.
The oganisation urged the Finance Department, Law department and the Meghalaya Public Service Commission, not to encourage illegal appointments which is not according to Article 309 and also which is in violation of Article 14, which is the right to equality and no parliament or state can disobey the principle of ‘equality of status and of opportunity’ enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
