CCE-2014 likely to be deferred for next year

Controversy over appointment of PSC, chairperson, members

‘Will take examination for 2 year vacancies ’

PS BALI

Jammu, Oct 26: The Public Service Commission (PSC) is likely to defer J&K Combined Competitive Examination (CCE)-2014 for next year and possibly merge it with 2015 exams.

Highly placed sources told Greater Kashmir that initially the examinations were postponed due to incessant rains and flash floods and now the examinations are likely to be deferred in the backdrop of controversy over the appointment of chairman and six members.

“Earlier the preliminary examinations for 51 posts were scheduled on October 12th 2014, but due to   floods in the state, all departmental and competitive examinations were postponed,” they said adding it was impossible to hold exams when PSC office at Polo Ground and Solina was submerged in the water.

“Owing to deluge, the old records pertaining to competitive as well as departmental examinations from 1980-2012 got destroyed/damaged beyond recognition,”   they said.

Sources further shared that when Governor, NN Vohra had returned the file concerning the appointments of PSC chairperson and six other members to General Administration Department (GAD) for Vigilance clearance, the chances of conducting examinations are now bleak.

 “The commission is now mulling to take all examinations next year. There is also a possibility of merging CCE-2014 examinations with the next year examinations being held to fill 300 vacant posts,” source believed, adding that in absence of commission chairman and members, these coveted examinations are not possible.

A former PSC member, wishing anonymity said, “The floods had affected the smooth conduct of examinations that were conducted before the fall of winters, but presently the situation is different. Owing to the floods the examinations are already delayed by more than one and now brakes put on by governor in the appointment of chairman and members have made it quite impossible”.

He added that the queries raised by Governor to clear the appointment of members will further delay the examination schedule.

He said that this further delay has minimized the chances of taking examinations this year and the possibilities are high that the commission might merge the vacant posts of two years.

“The queries raised by the Governor to the GAD are ‘very time consuming’,” said former PSC official. He added this process will probably take two to three months and conducting preliminary examinations in the month of January-February will not help commission to streamline the recruitment process. “So it is believed that commission will opt to merge vacant posts of two years,” he said.

The sources claimed that the Governor has sought Vigilance clearance, Annual Performance Report (APRs), integrity certificates, property statements among other essential reports for all seven new appointees, which had not been attached along with the file sent to the Governor for approval.