PANAJI
The decision of the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) to appoint a person from the general category to a post reserved for the ‘disabled’ category as a professor of the Goa Dental College allegedly because no candidate from the reserved category was available has led to an uproar over procedure being bypassed.
The affected candidates have now approached the office of the Goa Lokayukta alleging bypass of procedure as well as will approach the office of the disability commissioner alleging illegality.
The Goa Public Service Commission had advertised for two posts at the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at the Goa Dental College and Hospital. Of the two posts one was reserved for Scheduled Tribes and the other was reserved for physically disabled (hearing impaired).
However in the results of the examination declared, while the ST post was correctly filled by a person from the ST community, the other post was declared as being a general category post and one Ankita Arun Kamat was declared as successful in the results announced by the GPSC.
Speaking to The Goan, president of the Disability Rights Association of Goa Avelino De Sa said that as per procedure, if there is no candidate from the disabled category coming forward, the government has to advertise the post at least three times and further convert the post into a general category post and advertise it as a general category post.
In this case, the post was being advertised the second time and wasn't separately advertised as being converted into a general category post.
“What they have done is completely illegal. A post has to be advertised at least three times. We will be taking up the matter with the disability commissioner,” De Sa said.
Three other potential candidates have approached the Lokayukta alleging irregularity.
“This is unfair as other eligible candidates from the general category have been selectively weeded off from this interview since they could not apply as they were not eligible. Why wasn’t the post re-advertised as a General post to allow and provide a fair playing field to all the other general candidates fulfilling the essential criteria available in the state,” three candidates including Pradeep Kumar, Sharva Nayak and Malasha Godinho said in their complaint.
They also sought to know how a person from the general category was sent a call letter to attend an interview meant for the physically disabled when she clearly didn’t fulfill the criteria.
