Kargil, February 07: The alleged shifting of at least 33 district cadre posts from District Kargil to Leh belonging to the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department has stirred an uproar in the district Kargil. Public representatives and student organizations are consistently raising the issue via print, electronic and social media.

In this regard, Voice of Ladakh came to know that the Administrative Secretary, Yetindra M. Maralkar (IAS) in a letter No. Secy/(FCS&CA)/18/UTL/2022/117 20 dated November 25, 2022, to the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil allotted District Cadre posts of Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department.

“With reference to aforementioned subject, please find enclose the details of allocated District Cadre posts as annexure existing in various establishment of Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department in District Kargil. The District Cadre posts have been allocated taking into account the total number of posts notified in the relevant Recruitment Rule and in accordance with Sub-rule (2) of rule 4 of J&K Civil Service Decentralization and Recruitment Rules, 2010”, read the letter.

* Click to Follow Voice of Ladakh on WhatsApp *

The letter also requested the DC Kargil to (i) Prepare and maintain the seniority list of posts allocated to the district, (ii) to work out vacancies under promotion/direct recruitment quota, (iii) to constitute DPCs for filling the vacancies of promotion quota posts from the eligible incumbents of feeder posts within the district strictly as per the relevant Recruitment rules after following the due procedure, and (iv) convey the direct quota vacancies to the Administrative Department for referring to LAHDC-KSSRB for recruitment.

A copy of the letter was sent to the Director, FCS&CA Department Ladakh, Assistant Director, FCS&CA Kargil, and Pvt Secretary to Commissioner/Secretary GAD for information of the Commissioner/Secretary.

The office of the Assistant Director, FCS&CA in a letter, with No.: ADFCS&CA-K/Estt-Sanction-post/2021/8343-44, dated January 27, 2022 to the Director, FCS&CA, Ladakh had provided the information regarding sanctioned strength, incumbency and vacancy position of non-Gazetted posts allocated to UT Ladakh. The letter was a reply to letter No: DFCS&CA-UTL/Sanct-Vacancy/2021-22/286 dated:19.01.2021.

The letter shows that eight ration stores and storekeepers were functioning in Kargil before 1979 when Kargil become a separate district. Simultaneously, in January 1982 two more storekeepers were sanctioned making the total 10 stores in Kargil at Saliskote, Kanoor, Barsoo, Parkachik, Silmo, Yourbaltak, Pandrass, Choskore, Chah, and Lotsum. More posts of storekeepers were sanctioned in 1981 (02) 1982 (10), 1985 (22), and 1986 (12) which makes a total of 54 sanctioned storekeeper posts. However, the above-mentioned letter by the Administrative Secretary sanctions only 47 posts of storekeepers in Kargil which is seven less than the sanctioned 54 posts.

Similarly, the number of Chowkidar during the formation of the district was 04 that after the number of new sanctions reached to 50 as per the above-mentioned letter of the AD, FCS&CA, Kargil. The number of weighmen was 14 and the watchmen were 30. The total as per the older letter was 94. However, the Administrative Secretary’s letter mentions 68 posts only that include weighmen, watchmen, and chowkidar. The difference is 26 which is also believed to be shifted to the Leh district.

The number of Assistant Storekeepers was 17, Shali Clerk was 4, and 1 each of Senior Kothiyalla and Junior Kothiyalla was sanctioned in 2016. The total posts for ASK, Shali Clerk, and Kothiyalla were 23. After the formation of the Union Territory, 104 posts of Additional Storekeepers were sanctioned for the whole of Ladakh out of which the public in Kargil had expected 50 percent of posts which are 52 posts. The total number of posts in this category would have reached 75. However, only 70 posts were sanctioned in this category.

In total 33 posts, seven posts of the storekeeper, and 26 posts of Class IV level are allegedly shifted to Leh district. In addition, Kargil gets five posts less in the ASK/ Shali CLerk level post which was sanctioned after the formation of Union Territory.

There are speculations that posts are also shifted from other departments which this office could not confirm yet from reliable sources.

In this regard, CEC Kargil Feroz Ahmad Khan has written a letter to the Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory of Ladakh, Radha Krishna Mathur demanding immediate withdrawal of the order.

Earlier, LAHDC Councillor from Shakar, Zakir Hussain while tagging the LG Mathur, CS Ajeet Sahu and Div. Com. Swagat Biswas tweeted that read, “around 36 class-iv post of District cadre of kargil has shifted to Leh District thus giving a historical rise to unemployment in kgl (Kargil). I request UT admin to revisit the issue at an earliest in the interest of unemployed youths of kgl (Kargil)”.

The All Kargil (Ladakh) Students’ Association Delhi (AKSAD) read in a tweet, “The transfer of 36 District Cadre Posts to Leh is a gross injustice with the people of Kargil in general and students in particular. This becomes another instance of series of discriminations and injustices towards the students of Kargil. AKSAD vehemently opposes this decision of UT admin and request the LG Ladakh to intervene in this matter and kindly issue necessary directions to revoke this order.”

The President, All Ladakh Students Welfare Association, Jammu, Mohammad Hassanain tweeted, “The UT administration instead of creating new opportunities of employment is now playing redistribution of 36 before UT district carder posts of Kargil to Leh. These sort of unjust and discriminatory moves resemble more or less of what the previous Kashmir centric govts did to Ladakh as a whole…”

All eyes are now looking towards the Lieutenant Governor, Ladakh, Shri Radha Krishna Mathur to interface in such issues and clear the air from all sorts of apprehensions in the Union Territory.