FCSCA Department Pulwama faces staff shortage

PULWAMA — The Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (FCSCA) department in south Kashmir’s Pulwama is facing a severe dearth of staff as no recruitment has taken a place for the district since last one decade.

According to a source in the department, there is not enough manpower in the department for normal functioning due to which one employee/licence holder is holding charge of three to five stores at a time.

“An employee of the department who is a CA patient had to run from pillar to post to get his leave sanctioned for his treatment as there is no alternative available to the department who can run the stores,” sources said.

Source added that since last one decade, over 120 employees have reached superannuation but at their place, the department has hardly got 15 to 20 employees in this period.

They said that department advertised over 100 posts of Storekeeper, Kandaman and Deport Assistant since 2013, however, due to unknown reasons, the recruitment process was never completed.

“In other districts, the persons who were selected through the same recruitment process have got promoted as well, however, this district continues to grapple under staff dearth,” sources said.

He said that since last one decade, the population has increased manifold but no attention has been given towards enhancing the staff in the department.

He also said that even Watchmen and Helpers are holding charge of two-three sale depots besides that officials posted either at district headquarter or tehsil supply office headquarters are holding charges of one or more sale outlets in addition to their duties which create impediments for the smooth functioning of the office.

Sources said that in the year 2014 and 2015, then Assistant Director of the department who was also chairman of the recruitment process framed shortlist but used different criteria, forcing some aspiring candidates to take the case to the court.

“The second recruitment process remained withheld too because some shortlisted candidates from first recruitment put a stay on it and asked authorities to first complete their recruitment process. It has been over four years but the matter is standstill,” they said.

Director of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Bashir Ahmad Bhat said that all pending recruitments and vacant posts have been referred to JKSSB as per government orders.

“We are hopeful that vacant posts will be filled at earliest so that problems of the department will be over,” he said.