GUWAHATI, Feb 27 - The Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam has urged Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to intervene in the matter of de-reserving the posts in the State government services meant for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
The Coordination Committee, which is a conglomeration of 17 organisations of various tribal groups of the State, has alleged that around 5,000 posts meant for SCs and STs were de-reserved in 2012, on the ground of non-availability of suitable SC and ST candidates for the posts of TET-qualified teachers. The education department appointed 26,110 and 16,000 TET-qualified teachers respectively on May 20, 2012 and August 12, 2012. Himanta Biswa Sarma was the education minister then, said the Coordination Committee.
It has alleged that now a coterie has been at work to deprive the SC and ST employees of the benefits of reservation even in the case of promotion in State government offices.
For the purpose, an organisation named Equity Forum has been misinterpreting the verdict of the Gauhati High Court in the Equity Forum versus the State of Assam and Others (Case No. 1560/2015) and the State�s law department has sent its opinion, misinterpreting the court order, to the Employee and WPT departments, favouring the promotion of only general category employees.
The Coordination Committee said that the Gauhati High Court has stated in para 69 of its order in the above case, �Backwardness of SCs and STs vis-a-vis promotion would have to be determined cadre-wise. If in a particular cadre, SCs and STs are not adequately represented, they may be considered as backward in so far that particular cadre is concerned. Conversely, if in a particular cadre, SCs and STs are adequately represented, they may not be considered as backward for the purpose of promotion to that particular cadre.�
It further alleged that all State government departments have now prepared their lists of selected employees for promotion and in the first week of March next, they are going to fill up the promotional posts with such employees.
The State government departments have also ignored the directive of the Chief Minister to launch a special drive for absorbing SC and ST employees in the vacant posts meant for them under different cadres.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has even not paid any heed for the last four years to the instructions given by the PWD Minister and the Additional Chief Secretary for taking urgent steps in regard to the promotion of SC and ST engineers, alleged the Coordination Committee. A deputy secretary of the department has been hushing up a Gauhati High Court order in this regard, the Coordination Committee alleged.
