Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 22 Dec: Claiming to be angered by the alleged delays in government recruitment, the Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangathan took to the streets in Dehradun today and organised an indignation rally and marched towards the Secretariat. The organisation has also claimed that the government is continuing with outsourcing and backdoor appointments in the state.
Members of Uttarakhand Berozgar Sangathan gathered at the Parade Ground and proceeded on foot towards the Secretariat today. However, the police intercepted the protesters by placing barricades before they could reach their destination.
The protesters staged a vigorous demonstration, demanding an immediate end to what they described as ongoing outsourcing of recruitment in the state. State President of the Sangathan, Ram Kandwal claimed that, for several years, the youth have been preparing for competitive examinations by studying in coaching institutes and libraries, yet the government is failing to release new recruitment notifications. He stated that the patience of the youth waiting for Junior Engineer (JE) and Assistant Engineer (AE) recruitments is wearing thin and urged the government to issue advertisements for these posts without further delay.
Kandwal alleged that, for many years, recruitments in the state have been conducted through outsourcing and through backdoor channels. He noted that once the persons are appointed via outsourcing, they eventually begin demanding regularisation and specific grade pay from the government after a few years. He questioned the future of the more than 10 lakh registered unemployed youth across the state if the government proceeds with such regularisations.
The unemployed protesters further argued that, if the government intends to conduct direct recruitments through outsourcing, then the recruitment commissions should be abolished. They stated that there remains no justification for spending substantial sums of money on these commissions if backdoor appointments are to be continued. The protesters also demanded that the government immediately terminate backdoor, outsource, and contract-based recruitments in favour of regular recruitment processes. They threatened to intensify their agitation if the government continues to ignore their demands.
Kandwal further alleged that recruitments are currently stalled primarily due to the presence of outsourced and contractual employees. He pointed out that approximately 70 to 75 JEs and AEs currently employed on contract in the Irrigation and Public Works Departments are demanding permanent regularisation of their services. He added that in addition, 100 to 150 employees have also been hired through UPNL in the Jal Sansthan who are also seeking regularisation. He highlighted that many employees hired through UPNL hail from other states, raising concerns about the prospects of local youth if such staff are made permanent. He concluded by stating that if the government does not wake up from its slumber following today’s protest, an even larger movement will be launched.
