By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Despite the prohibition from the East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, the qualified grade IV candidates under the banner of the Association of Qualified Grade-IV-2011, East Khasi Hills on Friday took out a rally from Mawkhar to Main Secretariat as a mark of protest against the adamant attitude of the State government in addressing their demands.
The peaceful rally saw the participation of over a hundred qualified Grade IV employees who gathered at the parking lot besides additional secretariat after carrying placards with slogans expressing discontentment over the failure of the government to appoint all qualified candidates besides seeking that employment should be done in a clean and fair manner.
Later in the day, a delegation of the association also met Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary to seek his intervention on the matter.
Interestingly, the Governor refused to help the qualified Grade IV candidates by stating that the Government has the power to extent or scrap the whole merit list only.
When contacted, the members of the association expressed their disappointment over the refusal of the Governor to help them.
“As the nominal head of the State, we were hoping that he would help the unemployed youth who are eligible for appointment,” the members added.
Hundreds of Grade IV candidates who qualified at the examination conducted by the District Selection Committee last year have been denied appointment letter from the government citing reasons that the duration of the merit list lapsed even as referring to the Supreme Court ruling on January this year which is not at all relevant with the case of the DSC.
“The rally was conducted with an aim to press upon the government to response to our demands which includes appointment of all qualified candidates and to ensure that the appointment is done in a fair and clean manner”, general secretary of the association Hughbert Sun told reporters here on Friday.
Sun also informed that the association had recently submitted a memorandum to the Chief Secretary seeking extension of the employment duration. However, they are yet to get the response from the government on this issue.
It may be mentioned that out of the 331 qualified candidates in the merit list, so far only 122 candidates have got the appointment while there are another 209 candidates who are yet to get an appointment.