By Sant Kumar Sharma
Jammu, May 22:Heard on MP No 2/2017, an application for seeking ad interim direction. Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the respondents have issued an advertisement notification No 02 of 2017 for filling up the posts on which the petitioners are serving on need basis permanently. It is further submitted that in case the posts are filled up, the petitioners shall suffer irretrievable prejudice.
In view of the aforesaid submission and in the facts of the case, it is directed that respondents shall finalise the selection process only after giving consideration to the cases of the petitioners for regularisation by a speaking order in accordance with law.
With the aforesaid direction, MP No 2/2017 is disposed of.
This 116-word order of Justice Alok Aradhe was issued on May 22, 2017, four years ago. This order effectively put paid to GMC, Jammu, advertisement issued for filling up 300 vacancies on different posts. It will be interesting to take a head to head count of the various posts sub divided into no less than 35 categories.
These posts include those of 2. Anaesthesia Boy (11), 3. Anaesthesia Attendant (11), 10. X Ray attendant (5), 19. Nursing orderlies/Hospital Attendant (93), 23. Gas Pipeline Attendant (3), 24. Pipeline Operator (4), and 35. Theatre boy (9). Besides these, there are over two dozen categories of different types in this advertisement.
Incidentally, the case was titled Krishna and others versus State and others, and on behalf of the petitioners, Mr Shivani Jalali appeared as counsel. Who is this woman named Krishna? Well, according to an order (AHJ/2019/415-417) issued by GMC Principal Sunanda Raina on 01-02-2019, she is the Divisional Office Attendant engaged on ad hoc basis as early as 12/95 (read that as December 1995). Krishna’s grievance as stated before the high court was that she was not regularised despite being there for a quarter century now.
This list mentions names of 90 people in all, working in Gas Plant GMCH, STP GMCH, Gas Plant Operator in CD Hospital and such other sundry jobs. Most of them were hired/employed over several years. Some are from 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The maximum number of staff was hired in the year 2013.
Such employees, as were hired from time to time by the GMC administration have formed a union headed by Puneet Sharma who says he is sick and tired of the dilly-dallying tactics of the authorities. He says: There was a list of 90 the authorities had to consider according to the court order issued four years ago. Of them, may be 70-odd will need to be given as many have gone their ways, tired by the government attitude. If these 70 are given jobs, from the list of 300 jobs advertised by GMC authorities, another 230 are still left behind and these too could have been filled up. There will be 300 people getting small jobs and feed their families.
Another young boy, one of those who used to operate a gas line at GMC, interjects: These are heartless people all. Be it successive Principals who dealt with the case, or some Medical Superintendents who sought bribes for clearing their jobs, or Atal Dulloo, Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education since September 2018. Dulloo has been on this post for so long. Had he even applied his heart and mind to it, our problems and the problems faced by GMCH would have been solved long ago.
Another boy, who used to work as a Lift Operator and whose name figures in the list of 90, says: Sir, nobody takes ownership. Nobody wants to be held responsible and only do one thing, pushing file to another official with a fresh note on it. That’s all.
That indeed seems to be the case, and true to the last word. Just as recently as on March 16, 2021, this issue came up to the fore again. On that day, Office on Special Duty with Advisor (B) sent a note to Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department (read Atal Dulloo). Dutifully, Dulloo sent the file to Principal GMC, Jammu, with the remarks … PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. He signed this letter for being sent to the Principal on 5.4.2021.
It seems genuinely like a mission of reinventing the wheel which Dulloo, Principal, Executive Engineers, Medical Superintendents and others have undertaken. With each of them passing the proverbial buck in the classical bureaucratic manner, secure in the knowledge that as long as they don’t take a decision, no wrong can be attributed to them. Neither a decision is taken about these children of a lesser god, ad hoc employees all, nor is the recruitment of any people possible in GMC Jammu.
