Almora: In the latest development in a series of cancelled recruitment exams in Uttarakhand, the entrance test for 776 junior engineer (JE) posts in various government departments was cancelled on Saturday. The Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) announced that the decision to cancel the exams was made due to irregularities that were discovered during the investigation by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of Uttarakhand police.
Around 31,000 aspirants who took the exams will need to write them again. Fresh dates for the exams will be announced by UKPSC in the second week of April. The exam process is likely to be completed by September this year, according to authorities.
The JE recruitment exams were held in May last year, and results were announced on August 31, 2022. The interview process had also started for a few posts. However, irregularities appeared in the patwari and lekhpal exams conducted by UKPSC in January this year, and the exams were cancelled and rescheduled for February.
During the investigation of the patwari and lekhpal exams, irregularities were found in the JE exams as well. UKPSC has recommended that the government provide age relaxations to the candidates who need to reappear for the exams, as some may have crossed the age limit. Additionally, applicants who appeared in the May 2022 written exams will not be required to submit application fees next time.
As chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced that interviews for Grade C posts would be cancelled, the fresh exams won't have interviews, officials said. The marks allotted for these cannot be used to favour or disfavour a candidate. Sources said that the number of JE posts may be increased when UKPSC announces fresh dates in April.
The cancellation of exams due to irregularities has become a common occurrence in Uttarakhand. It not only raises questions about the transparency of the recruitment process but also causes inconvenience and financial burden for aspirants who have to write the exams again. The government needs to take serious measures to ensure that such irregularities do not occur in the future and that the recruitment process is fair and transparent.