Malik Sumeed
Srinagar 28 April (KNB): Despite being instructed that the post of Director, Composite Regional Centre (CRC) Srinagar is abolished and needs revival from the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure; Director, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Pt. DUNIPPD) in October 2020 appointed allegedly ineligible candidate, Dr Mir Zafar Iqbal, at the Post.
Before filling, several posts including the post of Director at CRC Srinagar were vacant and abolished and were not revived by the Ministry of Finance and the same was instructed to the Director Pt. DUNIPPD, who did not comply by it.
In March 2019, amid the Covid-19 lockdown phase across the nation, Pt.DUNIPPD issued an advertisement for the post of Director, CRC Srinagar.
In response to the advertisement, six applications were received and the competent authority to scrutinize these applications constituted a five-member committee.
On 26th of June 2020, after scrutinizing the applications, two candidates were declared eligible and four others were stated non-eligible for certain reasons.
Dr. Mir Zafar Iqbal was one of these four non-eligible candidates and as stated by the Screening Committee, Mir’s Post Graduate Degree is not recognized by RCI but surprisingly, somehow the Director Pt. DUNIPPD managed to appoint him as Director, CRC Srinagar on deputation basis.
Moreover, as per Deputation Rules, candidates with 9 years of qualifying service along with vigilance clearance certificate are only eligible for any post on deputation basis in Autonomous Body, Trust, Society, PSU etc. Whereas Dr. Mir—who was appointed Assistant Professor CRC Srinagar on 24th of December 2014— had around 5 years of experience at the time application for the post was applied.
Pertinent to mention that the Jammu and Kashmir Handicapped Association has already raised many queries related to it, in an Right to Information act but received unsatisfactory response and they are planning to go for first appeal to get proper response. (KNB)