Hyderabad: Pressure is mounting on the Telangana state government to postpone Group-II recruitment exams, scheduled to be held in April. The TS Public Service Commission has announced that it will hold these exams on April 24 and 25 and has started making arrangements accordingly.
While students across the state have already launched various agitation programmes, some candidates wrote to the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday, seeking postponement of the exams on the grounds that a meagre 439 vacancies were notified while nearly 5.64 lakh candidates have submitted applications.
The candidates want the posts to be increased to at least 2,000 before the exams are conducted. Their contention is that the Group-II notification was issued after a gap of four years but the 439 posts notified were just a fraction of the 5,000-odd vacancies.
Students pointed out that even of the 439 posts notified, 220 pertain to excise sub-inspector posts, for which the criteria is that candidates should have special qualifications. Effectively, candidates with conventional degrees, who form a majority of the total applicants, are left with only 219 posts, they said.
Students have been agitating at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park for the past few days seeking postponement of exams till June-July. The Backward Classes Welfare Association has intensified agitation programmes in support of students.
Association president R. Krishnaiah said, “This is the first Groups notification issued in TS. Since Telangana agitation, in which students played a key role, was all about jobs, funds and water, their aspirations and hope of Groups jobs is quite high. However, the state government has dashed their hopes by notifying just 439 vacancies while over 5.64 lakh have applied. A large number of students from all districts came to Hyderabad for coaching and spent thousands of rupees on accommodation, food and coaching for the last four years. How can the government do justice to these students with these meagre posts? There are over 2.50 lakh vacancies in various government departments. But the government is deliberately keeping these numbers low.”
The other objection being raised by students is that the Groups exams schedule has been adversely affecting their preparation for other recruitment exams.
They say Railway Recruitment Board-Secunderabad, has scheduled its recruitment exam to fill about 18,000 posts in April for which all graduates are eligible and they cannot concentrate on Groups to be held in the same month.
