It is necessary for the controlling officers and HOD’s to know the real essence and spirit of supernumerary posts for the efficient running of the government departments and educational institutions. The PM Package employees posted across Kashmir valley are holding supernumerary posts which are over and above the routine posts and therefore they should be given works only as additional posts and there should be no confusion about the role of supernumerary posts held by the package employees. It is in the fitness of things to know at the outset what the supernumerary posts mean. Supernumerary posts are permanent posts created under special circumstances for operation for a limited period as such at the discretion of the competent authority to create the posts in the administrative convenience. In other words, supernumerary post means a post created for a limited period to accommodate a government employee with retrospective effect when no regular post is available. Thus it is not a regular post and the holders of the supernumerary posts should not be overburdened by the work of the ordinary and routine posts because these are additional and shadow posts and the controlling officers should know the spirit, essence and meaning of the supernumerary posts. Supernumerary post is a post created for accommodating a permanent officer, till he is absorbed substantially in a regular post. It should not be created for an indefinite period as other permanent posts are, but should be created for a definite period sufficient for the purpose in view. As per Department of Personnel and Trainings (DoPT) GOI, a supernumerary post is a shadow post that is no duties are attached to the post. The govt. servant whose lien is maintained against such a post performs duties in some other vacant temporary post. So the package employees are holding supernumerary posts and thus they are supposed to work as additional posts when the regular appointees are absent or away on a leave and only then these employees should be called to work. The supernumerary posts of the package employees are additional and shadow posts having no duties attached with it save only when the regular employees are for some reason away from their duties and in such a situation, the holders of the supernumerary posts should be called to perform the duties of the regular employees as the supernumerary posts are shadow and backup posts and they should not be overburdened with the regular work .The supernumerary posts have been created to absorb the unemployed educated and skilled youth generally of the displaced migrants generally of the exiled Kashmiri pundits with the aim of their return and rehabilitation in 2009 by the UPA government of Dr Manmohan Singh. It was in pursuance of the cabinet Decision No 130 /11/2009, dated 01-10-2009, that 3000 supernumerary posts were created in different departments /organizations for the return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants in valley and vide government order No Rev/MR/147 of 2009, out of these 3000 supernumerary posts, 500 posts were created /allotted for Engineering department and vide Govt, order No 58 DMRR &R of 2017, in pursuance of Cabinet Decision No 129/9/2017 dated 28-07-2017, 288 posts were allotted to PWD (R&B) department out of 3000 additional supernumerary posts. This in all total 6000 posts were created to absorb the educated/skilled youth of the Kashmiri migrants and thus all the6000 posts were given the jobs for the purpose of return and rehabilitation of the Kashmiri migrants mostly the exiled Kashmiri Pandits. In the earlier years from 2009 to 2020 these migrants worked on the supernumerary posts across the Kashmiri. But from 2021 the targeted killings of the Pandit package employees started and a young KP Package employees named Rahul Bhat of the revenue department was killed in his office of the executive magistrate 1st class and it brought a pall of gloom and the package employees shifted to Jammu for the safety of their life ,limb and honor. After this the targeted killings of the KP’s continued and a Kashmiri Pandit residing in Chootigam village of Shopian district was killed. After this a Kashmiri pandit non migrant named Puran Chand was mercilessly killed in his compound in village chudrigund. Earlier to this a Jammu based Reserved Category Employee - a women teacher named Rajni Bala was killed near her school in village Gopal Pora in Kulgam district and all these targeted killings scared the KP’s and the package employees and RCE and they migrated to Jammu and held indefinite protest in Jammu for their relocation to Jammu till the situation becomes normal in Kashmir .But the government did not accept their demand and their pay was stopped and they were forced to join their duties and the government promised their safety and security. However no security has been provided to the package and Reserved Category Employees and they are working under continuous threat to their lives. On one hand the local SHO’s are asking the Pandit package employees to remain indoors and not attend their duties due to the threat perception and on the other hand DDO’s and controlling officers are asking them to come to duties and thus they are in confusion worse confounded. Since the constitution guarantees the right to life to every citizen under Article-21 and the UT administration should provide fool proof security to the package and reserved category employees working across Kashmir. The LG administration has adjusted the package employees at Tehsil and district head headquarters but this does not serve any purpose so far as the security of the vulnerable employees is concerned. Was not Rahul Bhat murdered in the Tehsildar’s office in Budgam? The government at the time of creating the 3000 supernumerary posts promised and agreed to provide safe government accommodation to the package employees. But still after more than two decades majority of the package employees are temporarily residing in private rented accommodation and are paying hefty rates of rent. The rented accommodation is widely scattered and is sans any security. Now that the most of the office work in Jammu and Kashmir offices is done through e-office and therefore the government should order that the package employees should be given the option of work at home/on line work till normalcy is brought to the Kashmir and giving the option of work from home will not expose these vulnerable package employees to threats and warnings. It is very unfortunate that some DDO’s had stopped the salaries of the package employees on one pretext or the other but they should know and appreciate that their salary is debited to security expenditure and is totally borne by the Home Ministry of GOI. Moreover departments in Kashmir are deputing the package Junior Engineers to field duty thus exposing them to further risk as it is very risky for them to perform the field duty. They should be allowed to be attached to the offices and not asked to attend field duties. To conclude it can be said that the J&K UT government should order the work from home for the package employees till the situation becomes feasible and conducive for the work at offices and educational institutions. Besides the LG administration should provide security to the package employees at the work place also as the threat perception is there even at the places of their work. But there is no security provision for the package employees and in such a situation they cannot perform their duties freely and without threat and risk to their lives. In short the government should come to the rescue of the package employees and not force them to work in risky situations. The DDO’s and HOD’s should understand the essence, spirit and meaning of the supernumerary posts and not harass these employees who are working under threat to their lives and not withheld their salaries now and then.
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