Srinagar: Hours after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during a press interaction admitted irregularities in the selection process of fireman/Fireman drivers in the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) department, the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) registered a case, a statement of the ACB said on Thursday.
“J&K ACB registered a case in irregularities committed in the selection process of Fireman/Fireman Drivers in the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department”, the statement reads.
It said a communication dated July 24, 2024 of General Administration Department (GAD), alongwith report of inquiry committee constituted by the Government to inquire into the allegations of irregularities committed in the selection process of Fireman/Fireman Drivers during the year 2020 in the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) Department, was received in this Bureau conveying therein the decision of competent authority for carrying out investigation in the matter.
The inquiry committee recommended criminal investigation through ACB on the allegation of paper leakage viz-a-viz the other aspects so recommended by the inquiry committee.
On receipt of the said communication, the matter was initially enquired in this Bureau which revealed that in the year 2013, Chairman, Departmental Recruitment Board (DRB), Fire & Emergency Services, J&K, had issued an Advertisement Notice No. 01 of 2013 dated 12-03-2013 for the posts of Fireman/Fireman Drivers and other tradesmen posts.
The examination was conducted by the DRB, however, in view of certain discrepancies in the selection process, Government, vide Order No.381-Home of 2016 dated 05.07.2016, terminated the whole process of selection.
The recruitment process was again started in the year 2018 in accordance with the earlier Advertisement Notice issued in the year 2013 as per directions passed by the Hon’ble High Court of J&K with no change/modification in the Advertisement Notice.
The Government is also directed to conduct recruitment through the Transparent Recruitment Process (TRP) to be engaged through an open bid system.
Accordingly, e-NIT No. 01 of 2018 dated 05.04.2018 was issued by Directorate of F&ES for engaging TRP agency in which Hyderabad based M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd was selected which conducted the physical test/written examination across J&K. The resource person of M/s Timing Technologies India Pvt. Ltd was Maharaj Krishan Wali.
Following allegations of mass copying etc. in the written test, the Government, vide Order No. 880-Home of 2019 dated 01.08.2019, cancelled the written examination and ordered to conduct written examination afresh.
The Government vide communication dated September 6, 2019 further directed to change the TRP Agency M/s Timing Technology India Ltd.
The probe conducted in the matter further revealed that the Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services issued e-NIT No. 01 of 2020 dated 01-01-2020 for inviting tenders from reputed vendors/firms having proven experience of conducting similar exercise at least in two UTs/State Police/Central Para Military Forces/Fire & Emergency Service for processing and conducting of written examination under TRP.
In response to said e-NIT, 6 TRP agencies participated, out of which M/s UMC Technology Pvt. Ltd Kolkata was worked out as L-1 with quoted price of Rs. 107.50 per candidate as per Financial Comparative statement finalized by Technical Committee constituted for the purpose. L-1 bidder raised some genuine queries relating to number of candidates & centres, but without assigning any reason, negotiations were made with L-2 bidder, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu.
The Technical Committee negotiated the rates with L-2 @ Rs. 179 per candidate against the quoted rate of Rs. 185 per candidate. After getting approval from the Chairman of DRB, the work order was given to ineligible agency, M/s LMES IT LLP, Jammu, on 02.03.2020 by ignoring L-1 bidder without any justification.
The written examination was conducted on 20.09.2020 and the selection list of Fireman/Fireman Drivers was issued on 03.10.2020 wherein total 690 candidates, including 592 Firemen and 98 Firemen Drivers, were selected vide Order No 823 of 2020 dated 04.10.2020 of Directorate F&ES/Chairman, DRB, the statement added.
UNI
