NE candidates allege deprivation in railway recruitment

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 29: Some unemployed youths have alleged that there has been an organized policy to deprive candidates from the Northeast in recruitments in Indian Railways and RPF.

Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, some candidates, including Ratul Deka, Elias Pradhan, Banjit Talukdar and others, said: “An advertisement was issued in an employment notice on December 6, 2013 by the Chief Security Commissioner (CSC), Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) for the filling up of ancillary staff in different trades in Railway Protection Force (RPF), including RPSF. Initially, there were 659 posts under seven different categories. Subsequently 121 other posts were added against the anticipated vacancies. Therefore, the selection process was initiated for a total of 780 posts. It is stated that, in order to ensure fair and transparent conduct of the recruitment there were a prescribed norm and guideline as provided under a standing order No. 85 issued by the Director General, RPF and the selection process was initiated under the said order.”

The deprived youths further said: “Surprisingly, during the course of selection, the authority issued another set of guidelines through directive-34 on January 8, 2015 and appointed one Broadweb Technology Private Limited of Kolkata, an outsourcing agency, to conduct the said selection. It is stated that, about 20,203 candidates from Assam duly applied for the advertised posts. Out of them only 1,442 applications were accepted and the remaining 18,761 applications were rejected without citing any reasons. Thereafter, the authority issued call letters to appear in the written test. It is stated that, out of 1,442 eligible candidates, only 103 candidates received call letters. It is further stated that from the entire Northeast only 40 candidates – 34 from Assam and six from Tripura – could qualify the written test. Thereafter, they appeared in physical efficiency test (PET) at New Jalpaiguri, but all the candidates of Assam and Tripura were declared unfit. It is stated that under the RPF Act & Rules, the Director General, RPF is not empowered to issue such a guideline in the ture of the aforesaid Directive-34 for selection, and there is no provision of engaging any private agency to conduct such a selection. There were some serious malpractices during the selection and the entire process was carried out on extraneous consideration at the behest of some vested interests in connivance with the said outsourcing agency.”

The deprived youths said that they have moved the Gauhati High Court against the selection process with a petition. The court has stayed the selection process.

The deprived candidates further said that candidates of the Northeast have been deprived of posts in NF Railway in an organized way. They demanded of Dispur to take up the matter with the government at the Centre.   

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