APSC chairman trashes CM's reform proposals

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, June 20: Five days after Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal instructed the APSC to announce results three hours after interview, the commission's chairman Rakesh Paul today maintained that the proposition is not possible and "even God cannot make it happen."

Paul was addressing mediapersons today.

"It is impossible (to give results within three hours of interview). Even God cannot do it. Moreover, we have not received any notification from the government in this regard, nor did the CM give any such instruction," Paul said when asked about the CM's instructions.

He also insisted that the Chief Minister cannot issue any directions to the commission, but "can only give suggestions".

Dismissing allegations of corruption in the commission, Paul insisted, "There is bound to be criticism if you work. You don't criticize anyone who does no work at all."

He said none of the allegations leveled against the commission has been proved in the court of law so far.

"There will always be doubts over merits of candidates. It is only tural," the APSC chief, flanked by all other members, said.

Paul, however, claimed that the proposal to collect footage of the evaluation process through CCTV cameras is an old one and that the previous Congress government had not given sanction for it.

On June 15 last, Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal had instructed the APSC to videograph all interviews conducted by the commission and announce results three hours after interview, according to a press release issued by the CM's office.

Stressing upon making the APSC examition process transparent and effective, the CM also directed some other measures like evaluation of all answer scripts of an examition by evaluators in a single room, collection of footage of the evaluation process through CCTV cameras and doing away with the provision of appending extra pages to candidates' answer scripts.

During a discussion with APSC chairman Rakesh Paul and other members at Assam secretariat, the CM said that the APSC examition process has been mired in frequent controversies, and it is necessary to restore the confidence of the public in the exercise so that only meritorious candidates get selected, the release had further stated.

Meanwhile, the APSC chairman further informed that the pending results of Assistant Engineer (Civil) and Junior Engineer (Civil) of Irrigation Department held in August 2015 and February 2016, will be declared within ten days.

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