KNB News Desk
Srinagar 22 June (KNB): Unemployed Automobile Engineers Association on Tuesday said that several officers including in-charge ARTO’s in Jammu and Kashmir’s Motor Vehicles Department hold diplomas/ degrees invalid for the qualification of their post.
An official of the association told Kashmir News Bureau that they had filed a complaint against In-charge Assistant Regional Transport Officers (ARTO) and Motor Vehicle Inspectors (MVI), holding degrees from Armenia University as well as diploma from Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IME), Mumbai.
The association alleged that the degrees/diploma certificates these officers possess and on basis of which were also promoted to their current designations, were not verified by the Department.
A member of the association, Junaid Nazir, who has also seeked intervention of the concerned officials of the Government as well as Transport Commissioner J&K into the matter, told KNB that there is solid proof that the Degrees/Diploma certificates from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IME) are not valid.
He said that one of the officers holding degree from Armenia State University of Engineering is not valid in India as per records available on the website of Armenian Embassy in Delhi.
Several other officers promoted on basis of the engineering certificates/degrees from IME, Mumbai are invalid as well, as such was stated in an order by the Jammu and Kashmir Government in a similar case in 2016.
As per the Government order no: 24-PW (Hyd) of 2016, IME, Mumbai is not a recognised university or deemed university. Promotion of five officers in this case was cancelled and reverted back to their previous posts.
“Why couldn’t be the same done in these cases?” Nazir asked, adding that these officers have occupied the posts without being qualified for it using invalid credentials which has left many deserving candidates in despair.
“At my personnel level and the association has tried their best from past years to bring the issue in the notice of the higher officials, but so far no concrete action has been taken,” he said, adding, “I am an unemployed automobile engineer and several others like me, who deserve a genuine opportunity are crippled due to higher influence backed by fake academic credentials. (KNB)