Jammu Tawi, January 15: Floating on the waves of doubtful viability, Jammu Kashmir Horticulture Produce Marketing Corporation (JKHPMC) – an autonomous body of J&K government could not serve its set forth objectives in all its years of existence and remained a liability on public exchequer except for absorbing the favourites of politicians and bureaucrats via backdoor.
Inappropriate quality of the manpower and management, lack of professionalism and accountability pushed the Corporation to meet the same fate as the most of the government corporations in Jammu Kashmir had met in the past and present – that is sure death.
While there are many skeletons in the cupboards of JKHPMC too that need a thorough probe and remedial actions, the Corporation is now counting its last breath. The Corporation had spent crores of rupees of public money on its high-profile projects which either could not pick up or have been lying idle without any accountability on the part of those responsible for its fate. Besides, the corporation remained shrouded under the shadows of corruption, mismanagement, pilferages, favoritism etc at various times with those responsible escaping scot-free.
Over and above, the JKHPMC has now been carrying the extra baggage of retired employees re-engaged as ‘Consultants' on contractual basis despite a clear blanket ban on reemployment of retired personnel by J&K Government since 2015 while it could utilize its existing resources or engaging jobless and qualified youth through proper recruitment channel.
Sources said that from the last one year JKHPMC has engaged more than twenty individuals, some of them as ‘Consultants' through private agencies to keep its functioning going. However, the J&K Administration in an exercise of manpower optimization and to shed the burden of JKHPMC has recently transferred 110 employees from JKHPMC to Horticulture and other departments for redeployment. This way, about 170 employees of the corporation have been on deputation to other departments who the management could have called back for availing the services to complete the work assigned to the reengaged Consultants.
In the latest order on 18.04.2022, the Corporation ordered hiring of three individuals as ‘Consultants' initially for probation period of three months on monthly remuneration of Rs. 40000 each. Out of these three, two were retired employees of the corporation. One Shabir Razvi appointed as Consultant previously retired as Manager and Nisar Ahmad Andrabi appointed in Accounts section retired as account clerk. Interestingly, the incumbents engaged on probation each for three months are still continuing till date.
Sources said that the ‘Consultants' engaged on consolidated monthly remuneration have not specialised knowledge and those reengaged have done little during their stint in the service period except for leaving a backlog which they are doing now.
Amid steady rising unemployment in J&K quoted at 20.2 percent, second highest among states and UTs in the country, engaging retired employees is seen as blocking the job and career prospectus of youth desperately seeking jobs and promotions.
In the backdrop of J&K Administration's claims of making strenuous efforts for creating jobs in public and private sectors in this new Union Territory, continuing this decades old practice of reengaging the retired people in the government departments, corporations, universities etc has been a cause of serious public concern.
The pertinent question is whether the sick Corporation can afford the extra burden of rehabilitating the retired employees when the corporation employees are not getting their salaries in time and the retired ones are not getting their Gratuity, CP Fund and leave salary post-retirement from the corporation.
The J&K Finance Department has previously issued numerous circulars in which the government has explicitly prohibited reemployment and re-engagement. These circulars bind all autonomous institutions, including universities and other government departments.
One of the most common justifications for such reengagements is that these people are “needed” because of their so called experience. However, this argument is flawed and absurd.
On contacting the Managing Director of JKHPMC, Mr Shafat Sultan told the Northlines that employment or recruitment is the subject matter of Government and being MD, I have no role to play in it. In addition, all the appointments made in terms of retired officials hired as Consultants have been made after Board approvals, which consisted of top officials.
He further said, “We are already facing losses as a Corporation, and in the next Board meeting, I am personally going to pitch for merging the Corporation into some other”. He added, “our Corporation is highly understaffed and is left with mostly class IV employees. The number of employees is further going to reduce in the coming years as most of our senior staff is on deputation.” Next Board meeting is scheduled on Jan 17, 2023.
