Candidates take physical test at a rally in Ludhiana. (Express File Photo)CITING “vacillating” support from the local civil administration, the Army’s zonal recruitment officer in Jalandhar has told the Punjab government that the recruitment rallies in the state, under the short-term Agnipath scheme, may either be “held in abeyance” or shifted to neighbouring states.
In his letter dated September 8, addressed to V K Janjua, Punjab Chief Secretary, and Kumar Rahul, Principal Secretary, Employment Generation, Skill Development and Training, Major General Sharad Bikram Singh, Zonal Recruitment Officer, Jalandhar, has said: “We are constrained to bring to your kind attention that support from local civil administration is vacillating with no clear cut commitments. They are usually citing their inadequacies due to lack of directions from the state government at Chandigarh or lack of funds.”
The letter, seen by The Indian Express, points out that there are certain “inescapable requirements” which the civil administration must provide for holding the recruitment rallies, including “police assistance for law and order, security, crowd control, essential barricading to enable controlled and smooth entry of candidates”.
The civil administration is also expected to arrange medical support, including a medical officer with a team and ambulances, to provide immediate assistance. Besides, arrangements have to be made for basic amenities like rain shelters, water, mobile toilets and food for 3,000 to 4,000 candidates per day for the 14 days that the rally is held at a particular venue, says the letter.
It warns that unless there is a “clear cut commitment” to make these arrangements, “we would be taking up the case with Army Headquarters to hold in abeyance all future recruitment rallies and procedures in the state” or “alternatively conduct rallies in neighbouring states”.
While recruitment rallies were held in Ludhiana in August, there is an ongoing camp in Gurdaspur (September 1-14), and another is scheduled to be held in Patiala from September 17 to 30.
Chief Secretary V K Janjua did not respond to phone calls or text messages. The Principal Secretary, Employment Generation, Kumar Rahul said some issues had cropped up in Gurdaspur, but these were “nothing serious”. “I have spoken to the General… He informed me of some issues at Gurdaspur, but it is nothing serious. Everything is alright and all measures are in place for smooth conduct of rallies,” he said.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Surabhi Malik, Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, said the Army had not faced any problems in holding recruitment rallies in her district. “In fact, we have been given an appreciation certificate by the Army recruitment authorities for the smooth conduct of the Agniveer rally in August,” said Malik.
According to information shared by the Army with the state government, around 27,000 candidates are expected to take part in the recruitment rallies in Patiala — from the six districts of Malerkotla, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa, Patiala, Sangrur and Barnala.