Iltija Mufti Demands Justice for Forestry Graduates, Calls for Review of Recruitment Rules
Ganderbal, Oct 21, KNT: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti visited the Faculty of Forestry at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Benhama, Ganderbal, and expressed solidarity with students protesting against the proposed recruitment criteria for forest department posts.
Iltija Mufti backed the forestry students’ demand for fair recognition of their specialized professional qualifications, arguing that graduates who spend four years studying forestry should receive appropriate consideration for jobs directly related to their field.
The controversy centres on proposed recruitment rules for the post of Forester and the removal of an earlier provision granting 30 additional points to candidates holding forestry degrees. Students maintain that the changes could put professionally trained forestry graduates at a disadvantage in recruitment.
Iltija Mufti has urged Forest Minister Javed Ahmed Rana to intervene and honour what she described as an assurance that forestry-related posts would require specialized qualifications. She said the government should ensure a level playing field for graduates rather than leave their employment concerns unresolved.
Emphasizing the importance of specialized knowledge in protecting Jammu and Kashmir’s forests and fragile ecology, Iltija said trained forestry professionals were needed to address deforestation, ecological degradation and other environmental challenges.
The students’ protest has continued amid demands for a review of the recruitment framework. The issue intensified last week after SKUAST-K suspended most academic activities at the Faculty of Forestry and directed hostel residents to vacate their rooms, a move Iltija Mufti had criticized as unjust to the protesting students.
The graduates have called on the government to reconsider the eligibility criteria and ensure that their professional education is appropriately recognized in recruitment to forestry-related posts. [KNT]
© Kashmir News Trust (KNT). Unauthorized use without attribution is prohibited.
