Srinagar, Sep 01 (KNO): Despite assurance from the government, 172 Community Information Centre (CIC) operators are awaiting regularization as the operators continue to work on a contractual basis for 16 years now leaving them and their families’ members in distress.
The regularisation was cleared by the government empowered committee.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) the aggrieved CIC operators said that in the first instance General Administration Department (GAD) sought legal opinion from the Department of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs of J&K and then another legal opinion from Advocate General.
“Later the file was submitted to the Finance Department for review of its concurrence but the Finance Department reiterates its previous concurrence in their favor,” they said.
The operators said that in the ensuing year on 3 June 2021, the Department of Rural Development Department was advised by the GAD to put their cases before the establishment and selection committee of Jammu & Kashmir.
"172 CIC Operators working in Rural Development Department UT of J&K is well qualified having done MCA, M Tech, MSc.IT, B.E, and B.Tech degrees and are technically very sound and efficient besides handling efficiently all the online work of departmental portals along with all other office assignments", they said. "We have been working on a contractual basis since 2004 on peanuts, forcing them to live a miserable and distressing life."
The operators said that the appointment was made on merit basis through proper recruitment procedure by District Level Appointment Committee constituted by the Government of J&K headed by Deputy Commissioner’s of concerned districts in the year 2003-04
"In the year 2014, Jammu & Kashmir Government passed a cabinet order to formulate a proposal for the regularizations of 172 CIC Operators in the Rural Development Department J&K following which in the year 2016, the Jammu & Kashmir Government through its cabinet decision created 172 data entry operators for regularization of their services vide Govt. Order No. 320- RD & PR of 2016 dated 14.12.2016,” the operators informed.
They said that in the year 2017, the Empowered Committee of J&K Government vide its 58th meeting dated 22.03.2017 and 60th meeting dated 12-10-2017 headed by Principal Secretary, Finance Department J&K cleared cases for regularization under Special Provision Act 2010.
The operators also said that the recommendations have also been communicated to the Department of RD & PR by the Finance Department J&K for issuing regularization orders as Data Entry Operators vide O.M No. PS/DC/Misc-353/14 dated 22-05-2017, O.M. No. PS/SC/Misc-374/14 dated 24-01-2018 and O.M No.PS/DC/Misc-354/14 dated 01-06-2017.
“Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary affairs J&K and also Advocate General of J&K had given legal opinion in favor of CIC Operators,” they said.
The operators urged the LG to consider their case on a priority basis and regulars their services and end their suffering on humanitarian grounds—(KNO)