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HC directs J&K administration to list steps taken to fill vacant posts in health department
The status report stated that in respect of Jammu division, total sanctioned strength of medical officers for all the ten districts is 1,390 posts, of which 664 were lying vacant
A division bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court, comprising chief justice N Kotiswar Singh and justice MA Chowdhary, on Friday directed the J&K administration to place on record steps taken to fill up vacant posts of medical officers as well as non-gazetted, and class IV employees in the health department across Jammu and Kashmir.
The high court has fixed August 28 for the state to file its response in shape of an affidavit “without fail.”
The division bench also directed the deputy solicitor general of India, Vishal Sharma, to furnish necessary information with regard to health care position in respect of Ladakh.
Acting upon a public interest litigation filed by an RTI activist Balwinder Singh, the division bench perused the status report filed by the deputy secretary of the health and medical education department.
The status report stated that in respect of Jammu division, total sanctioned strength of medical officers for all the ten districts is 1,390 posts, of which 664 were lying vacant.
Similarly, in respect of non-gazetted and class IV employees in Jammu division, 2,489 posts were lying vacant out of a sanctioned strength of 6,868 posts.
In respect of Kashmir division, the total sanctioned strength of medical officers was 1,467, out of only 72 were lying vacant.
Similarly, in case of non-gazetted and class IV employees in Kashmir division, 2,651 posts were lying vacant out of sanctioned strength of 8,628 posts.
“Under these circumstances, we direct the respondent authorities to indicate the steps taken to fill up the large number of vacancies in respect of medical officers as well as the non-gazetted and class IV employees in Jammu division as well as Kashmir division,” observed the division bench.
“Let the same be placed on record by way of an affidavit. The affidavit shall also indicate the steps taken in respect of far flung areas of districts of Reasi, Poonch, Ramban, Kupwara, Baramulla, etc. where the vacancies appear to be quite significant,” the division bench ordered.
