Srinagar: The Waqf Board on Friday ordered re-designation of the posts of 323 employees, who have failed to submit a genuine 10th pass academic qualification certificate till date.
According to an order issued by Executive Magistrate Tehsildar, Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-din, J&K Waqf Board, as reported by the news agency KNO, the J&K Waqf Board has recruited, engaged several categories of employees over the years without prescribing well-defined criteria.
“Such employees have been randomly given designations like, Chowkidars, Sweepers, Peons, Orderlies, Tehveeldars, Bus Conductors, Malies, etc., and their services have only been utilized as per their designations,” reads an official communiqué of the Board.
It said that no fresh recruitments have been made after the constitution of the J&K Waqf Board in 2022, and a comprehensive exercise for rationalisation of postings is underway for proper utilization of Waqf resources.
“Simultaneously, a large-scale exercise for mass transfers of employees after decades of ‘stay period’ is also being carried out. The verification of educational qualification certificates of all employees has been conducted by this office through the respective recognised issuing authorities, and a number of certificates have proved not to be genuine, and necessary action has been initiated in this regard,” it read.
It added as a result, there is severe deficiency of staff at the lower levels in the Board, and certain important categories of employees, like, Sweepers and Chowkidars, are not available in the required numbers at Sub-Units.
“With the recent decision of the Board to disengage the over-age employees, and no fresh recruitments being made, this kind of staff deficiency has become more severe.”
It further read that the matter was placed before the competent authorities, and as desired, in order to overcome such deficiencies at the lower levels, sanction is hereby accorded to the re-designation of posts, of the enclosed list of 323 employees, that are functionally illiterate, or have failed to submit a genuine 10th pass academic qualification certificate till date, as Multi-Purpose Staff (MPS).
“The designation shall be used for all such categories of posts that do not require any technical or professional qualification. The services of all such employees shall be henceforth utilised to perform any kind of job that doesn’t require any special skills.”
It, however, clarified that re-designation shall not absolve any employee from any service related enquiry or irregularities of appointment and promotion.
“Further, all the employees posted at shrines, from the administrator to the lowest level, are additionally designated as “Khaadim-e-Ziyarat”, it said, adding that the administrators shall accordingly ensure that the entire staff carries a visible identity card all the time bearing this designation.
