Ambiguity shadows eligibility criteria
Northlines Exclusive | Arvind Sharma | Jammu Tawi, Aug 6:
‘Transparency, Accountability, Merit will be the benchmark..’ the phrase that oft-repeated by the Lieutenant Governor and all the who’s who in Jammu Kashmir seems nothing more than rhetoric to Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC) if one goes by its latest exercise to engage High-Performance Managers, Coaches, Young Professionals for ‘Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE)’- a Government of India initiative.
J&K Sports Council issued an ambiguous advertisement notice inviting applications for the posts in different categories without mentioning basic requirements i.e. eligibility/qualification criteria required for the applicants desirous of applying for the advertised posts. The long verbose advertisement notice while containing the upper age limit of the aspirant, does not mention any other eligibility criteria like academic or professional qualification, achievements/qualification in specific sports field etc that kept hundreds of aspirants in a state of confusion whether to apply or not.
Apart from this, the applicants, as per the notice, must send their applications on prescribed form with all educational, experience and other testimonials to the Secretary, J&K Sports Council at Srinagar office by July 31 till 5.30 pm. The notice that bears the official date of July 1st 2021 and last July 31st appeared much later in the press.
“Although, the notice was uploaded on the official website of the Sports Council nobody knows whether it was available in the public domain or not,” sources told the Northlilnes.
The applications were invited for 18 positions that included High-Performance Managers in Rowing and Fencing, Assistant Coach, Nutritionists/Dietician, Masseur, Physiotherapist, Strength and Conditioning Trainer, Conditioning Expert etc., Nutritionists/Dieticians, Physiotherapists etc.
“What is surprising in the notice is the fact that the basic qualification required for the applicants has not been mentioned and totally ambiguous,” sources in the Council told the Northlines wishing not to be named.
“Going by the past practice in the JKSC, it can be clearly said that such notices are advertised to favour certain people,” they said adding that while India charting the digital mode in all public and recruitment affairs, switching to archaic physical mode looks deliberate with design. Further, the connotations of ‘must be sent to ..Srinagar Office by 31st July, till 5.30 PM seems mischievous as JKSC Jammu office has refused to receive applications from many aspirants clearly stating that these physical applications were to be received at Council’s Srinagar Office only. A source said few individuals who are well connected though without NIS qualification but had already established their influence in Water and other Sports under JKSC are all set to be benefitted in the selection process of this notice.
“Moreover, amid Covid-19 pandemic, all the departments have been inviting applications from the desirous candidates online but why in this case the applications were invited to be submitted in a physical mode that too at Srinagar office of the Sports Council,” they said.
“Thus there was no other mode of submitting either by post or in person. Keeping in view the uncertainty of postal delivery during this Monsoon month that often blocks the roads, I had no alternative but travelled by Air to submit my application at Srinagar, told an applicant requesting not to be named. He further said that he faced a difficult situation at Srinagar Airport as security authorities there demanded a Vaccination certificate to allow him to go out which he was not carrying.
As per the notification, it can be clearly said that the desirous candidates of far-flung areas, especially of Jammu, would have to face a lot of problems to submit their applications, they said.
“The J&K Sports Council has its full-fledged and fully functional office at Jammu also with requisite infrastructure in place,” sources informed the Northlines.
“So asking the candidates to send their applications by post or in person and that too to the Srinagar office raises many questions,” they said.
Both air and road traffic to Kashmir often remain suspended due to weather conditions, especially during the ongoing monsoon season, they said, adding, “therefore, inviting applications by post to the Srinagar office of the J&K Sports Council and that too without mentioning the eligibility points towards something fishy”.
Amid the prevailing restrictions in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is a very cumbersome exercise for the people to collect the requisite documents/formalities and send the same by post to Srinagar, they said.
It may be mentioned that the JKSSB, recently invited applications for over 8500 class IV posts via online mode.
The concerned officials and also the Secretary did not respond to our repeated calls and text messages to her cell phones for two days to share JKSC version on the matter.
