Graduates of the veterinary colleges in Shimoga and Hassan under the Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University (KVAFSU) are crying foul over their exclusion from recruitment to the posts of veterinary officer in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services.
Seventy-one graduates who had passed out of these two colleges are planning to knock on the doors of Minister for Animal Husbandry and Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra here on Thursday, demanding an explanation. The graduates say the 2011 batch of graduates from the Shimoga college, the first since the establishment of the institution, as well as the 2012 batches of both the Shimoga and Hassan colleges had applied to the 391 posts of veterinary officer.
Rohith Hegde, a 2011 batch graduate from the Shimoga college, said applications to the posts were called in December last year. “When the merit list was announced on December 21, 2013, 260 posts were allotted, all to the graduates of the Bidar and Bangalore colleges. As many as 331 graduates had applied for the 391 posts. When we asked them why graduates from the Shimoga and Hassan colleges were excluded, they give us reasons such as having had to finish the recruitment process in a hurry. They said that we will be accommodated eventually,” he said.
Graduates from these two colleges also alleged that their documents were verified only after a hue and cry and a court order asked the government to do so.
The graduates, while asking why they are being victimised, are also raising questions about the future of the students presently studying in these colleges. Dr. Hegde pointed out that admissions were made this year to their college despite the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) not giving its nod initially. The VCI gave conditional approval later.
RecommendationOn the other hand, V. Chandrashekara Murthy, president, Karnataka Veterinary Council, said the council had suggested to the government to recommend 100 additional posts and grant them “conditional appointment” as the case was pending in the Supreme Court.
“Both these colleges (Shimoga and Hassan) are not recognised by the VCI. There are nearly 800 such graduates from non-recognised colleges in the country. On humanitarian grounds, we decided to overlook this and registered their names but were forced to delete them due to the lack of recognition,” he explained.
Explaining the reason behind announcing the merit list with only 260 names, he said “genuine” graduates had the “right to take their jobs”. “There is a shortage of 35 posts. Of the 391 posts, about 100 would go to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates. Some of these graduates would have been selected under the general merit category as well. Backlog recruitment applies only for them but we don’t want the 71 graduates to be without jobs. We have written to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms to create 100 posts. Like they have done in Andhra Pradesh, we will work towards getting them temporary appointments subject to the Supreme Court verdict,” he added.
