Odisha: Pending recruitments of 3 years cast shadow on fresh SI exams

BHUBANESWAR: Uncertainty looms over the schedule of the exams for the recruitment of sub-inspectors (SIs) in Odisha Police. Though the recruitment process was tentatively scheduled to be held between August 8 and 16, the exams are likely to be delayed owing to the incomplete SI recruitments of 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) had been conducting the SI recruitments since 1994. After 27 years, the state government recently constituted the Odisha Police Recruitment Board to conduct the SI recruitments owing to the OSSC’s failure and inordinate delay in holding the exams on time. The OSSC has not yet completed the SI recruitments, the advertisements of which were published in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The police recruitment board has now encountered a technical problem after the OSSC proposed to the former to complete the recruitment process of three years. The applicants, who had applied for the SI posts during these three years, have urged the OSSC to either complete the recruitments in time or ask the new police recruitment board to complete the process.
“We received a proposal from the OSSC to complete the unfinished SI recruitments of 2017, 2018 and 2019. The proposal has been sent to the government for guidance. We are waiting for the government’s reply. This is the reason why the SI exams of 2021 have been delayed,” a senior police officer said.
Police said the technical issue may lead to conflict between candidates of the unfinished recruitments and the fresh ones over their seniority issue, in case the 2021 exams are held and new SIs appointed before the appointments of the recruits of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 batches.
Unlike the OSSC recruitment procedures, which would involve several rounds of exams, the new test patterns framed by the Odisha Police Recruitment Board aim to expedite the selection of the SIs. For the first time, the board has introduced technology in the appointment process. The applicants would be asked to write the papers through computer-based recruitment examination. Viva voce has been done away with. The SIs would be selected following written and physical tests.
Altogether 1,32,496 applicants, including 26 persons belonging to the transgender community, have applied for the 477 SI posts this year. The aspirants were asked to fill the forms online between June 22 and July 15.