M A I N   N E W S

A Tribune Investigation
PPSC denying info on selections
Chitleen K Sethi
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
The Punjab Public Service Commission’s (PPSC) belief in “transparent functioning” can be gauged from the fact that it has been denying all information pertaining to these selections under the RTI Act to almost everyone who applied.

The commission was asked to supply copies of the application forms and the accompanying certificates of the 312 selected doctors. The information was, however, refused on frivolous grounds. This information, running into over 6,000 pages, was finally gathered from the Department of Health and Family Welfare after the PPSC sent details of the selected doctors to the department.

Several rejected candidates were also denied information regarding marks details of selected and rejected candidates.

“In the first lot of 100 selections, my son placed 24th in the reserved category list. His PPSC score was 55 per cent. A candidate whose ranking was in 280s on the list had scored 25 per cent marks. Neither my son, nor he was selected. However, in the second list of 212 doctors, my son’s rank was 315th (with a score of 27.31), while the other candidate, whose ranking in the first list was in 280s, was selected,” said the father of a rejected candidate from Mukerian. “We asked for distribution of marks from the PPSC, but were not given any information,” he added.According to RTI activist and advocate HC Arora, pleas for “information about application forms and bio-data sheets of rejected candidates also met with no response from the PPSC. The appeals against denial of this information is pending with the Punjab State Information Commission”.

Another aspirant who did MBBS from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and was among the rejected candidates was also denied information about the selection.

What does the commission want to hide? “Nothing,” retorted PPSC member Brig DS Grewal. “Selection is a secret process and no one can be given this information under the RTI Act,” he added.A source in the PPSC, however, said the commission officials took special care to consider all RTI applications regarding selections. “The files went up to the top authorities, who specially ordered that information may not be given. Truth will come out if flags on those files can also be accessed,” he said.

PPSC not to recruit next lot of docs

Sources said the Department of Health, Punjab, had decided not to hand over the recruitment of the next lot of doctors for the Punjab Civil Medical Services to the PPSC.

Panel formed by rejected candidates

The rejected candidates from Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda have got together and constituted a front to carry the battle forward. “We are issuing an appeal to the other PPSC victims to contact us at doctorsjusticeleague@gmail.com so that a common strategy can be worked out,” said a doctor from Bathinda.