Tribal bodies want modification of quota policy

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Aug 21: The Coordition Committee of Tribal Organizations of Assam (CCTOA) has raised the demand for immediate Cabinet approval for the modification of, what it said, defective office memorandum for the filling up of backlog vacancies reserved for SC and ST candidates.

Talking to The Sentinel, CCTOA chief convener Aditya Khakhlari said: “It sounds pleasant to hear that the State WPT & BC Additiol Chief Secretary has asked all departments to fill up the backlog SC and ST vacancies by December 31, 2017. However, the office memorandum isn’t pleasant at all in true sense of the term unless clause IV of the reservation policy of Assam isn’t modified.  Not a single backlog vacancy could be filled up through the office memorandum that ensures minimum 78 per cent of general category candidates and lacks any policy to ensure 22 per cent reservation for SCs and STs in government services and posts. Many SC/ST organisations submitted memorandum on several occasions to the government for modification or scrapping the defective office memorandum, but it has not been done so till date. Some individuals belonging to reserved categories have also filed cases against the said office memorandum in the Gauhati High Court for modification, but the government has been sleeping over the matter for the past one year.”

Khakhlari said: “There are as many as 12,155 backlog posts meant for SC and ST candidates – 5107 for SC and 7048 for ST— in as many as 59 departments in the State. Most of these posts are of third and fourth grades, mostly in elementary education, secondary education, higher education, PWD, Water Resources and Health, etc. It is seen many departments are promoting junior general category candidates by superseding the senior-most SC/ST candidates by refereeing to the controversial clause (IV) of the defective office memorandum. It is learnt that the Assembly Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs has also recommended several times for modification of the said impugned office memorandum, but to no avail. Top WPT & BC officers are completely avoiding the matter because they know that a Personnel Department officer, who is the architect of the impugned office memorandum, won’t give his consent to the modification of the office memorandum.”

The organization has also demanded that the WPT&BC Department should issue guidelines to all heads of the departments for collection of quantifiable data on the basis of principles laid down by the Gauhati High Court in the case of Equality Forum vs The State of Assam so that post based reservation can be implemented In letter and spirit as mandated by the Supreme Court in M garaj case.

Meanwhile, the CCTOA is going to stage a dhar for three hours from 11 am on August 24 and a form a human chain on the tiol highway from Sopur to Jagiroad on October 12 this year in support their various demands.