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L E T T E R S
Readers Write Expand study on Muslim Rajputs Muslim Rajputs of J&K (A case study of Rajouri district by Dr Muzammil Hussain Malik, Epilogue, Nov 2009) is a pathbreaking study, perhaps first of its kind in public domain. This could have been developed into a full cover focus of the magazine. I hope the Editors take suggestion for expanding this work to rest of the state and consider a full issue on the subject RENU POKHARNA Center for Civil Society New Delhi
II Thanks to Epilogue for bringing out of somebody from Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s family who has the courage to reveal the Jammu and Kashmir strong with seeking interest in power politics your observation that Islam, Women and Violence picks up threads from where Aatish-e-Chinar left is largely valid with a reservation the former is about a person and latter is about person and latter is about peoples. SURINDER KAUR Advocate Jammu/Anantnag
NOVEMBER 2009
So strong is the lobby in the Civil Secretariat that does not want a final 'seniority list' of engineers in service that it has even defied the Supreme Court of India's verdict against Adhoc/Stop-Gap promotions. The SC in the year 2000 in the case Suraj Parkash Gupta and others Vs J&K State issued explicit directions to stop all adhoc/stop-gap promotions and come out with the final Seniority List as per method and criteria as directed by the Court in this case. It is shocking that the state government has not implemented the directions of the Apex Court and the system of Adhoc/stop-gap/Incharge promotions is still in vogue without final and clear seniority list. This puts a serving senior engineer in a piquant situation. Although, working at senior position holding the rank and responsibility of a Head of the Department, he may only be drawing the pay scale of a much junior post. And unfortunately, if he retires as 'in-charge' CE or SE his pension would be fixed at the pay scale of the substantive post that he was holding before retirement. This has happened to many of the engineers who retired years back after 90s, working as CEs/SEs for years together and are still fighting for fixation of their pay/pension as per the post from which they retired. But their case-files are shuttling between Administrative Deptt, civil secretariat and the Accountant General (AG). As it is the Adm Deptt that will promote them to the rank they were holding before retirement and only then the AG will fix their pay/pension to which they are entitled. And thus the 'monkey game' of doing justice to the cats by the clever monkeys sitting in Civil Secretariat continues. This is high time the Chief Minister who though young and energetic as per his age is fast growing old among the old and strong political and bureaucratic surroundings orders immediate framing of proper seniority lists of all officials in the government service on universally accepted norms to get rid of manipulations of service conditions of serving officials in his government. ER VIKRAM GOUR Superintending Engineer (retired) Trikuta Nagar, Jammu
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Vol. 3, Issue 12
Epilogue, December 2009