The MDA government has today decided to constitute a committee headed by cabinet minister Ampareen Lyngdoh to examine the job roster system.
The decision was taken after an all-parties meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma at the Secretariat here.
The government also announced that all new job advertisements would be put on hold till the committee submits its report on all issues related to the roster system.
Briefing media persons after the meeting, Sangma said that the terms of references of the committee will be notified soon. He also said that members from different political parties will be part of the committee.
The chief minister also said that the State government has agreed to requests by political parties to put on hold all the new job recruitments till the committee submits its report on the roster system.
“We have agreed to that as a government that we will keep things on hold till the committee is satisfied and give us a final report and a final discussion which we expect to be happening in a very, very short time,” he said.
However, from Sangma’s statement it is clear if recruitments for jobs already advertised or those where the written test of interview have been conducted would not be put on hold.
“I would like to clarify now today that all the appointments that were made in the past and all decisions that were made were taken as per the reservation policy and hence, they are completely and legally binding on the government. Hence, the question of us going back and looking at it and cancelling or making adjustments does not arise. These were done and appointed based on the reservation policy. And now after information and data has been plotted, we are now in a position in some of the departments to understand on how we are going to move forward,” Sangma said.
Stating that the roster system is a continuous process, Sangma said, “It starts from 1972 and it continues.” He added that “the option and concern that we will go back and change things in the past does not arise”.
“In the past 50 years, whatever has happened in the recruitment process which was plotted in the roster system is something that is being done based on the reservation policy and based on the rules of the reservation policy. Hence, for us today to go back into the facts and figures and go back into the appointments being made and the process that was done is not possible for us to go back and make changes into it. Hence, the data and information allow us to plot and understand where we stand in the sequence but as I said the option and concern that we will go back and change things in the past does not arise,” he reiterated.
