Ranchi, June 10: Left with very few vacancies to fill in the civil services, the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) is now occupied with filling up vacancies in the fields of education, finance, engineering and jails.

JPSC has only 64 posts of deputy collectors and 11 labour officers’ posts to fill through the first civil services examination to be held on July 30.

On the other hand, there are 200 posts of engineers, 26 posts of university officials and seven posts of music teachers. JPSC has successfully held tests to appoint 10,000 primary school teachers and 400 co-operative department employees. Besides, the commission has to fill hundreds of vacant posts of teachers in the state’s universities.

The recruitment body will soon hold tests to fill vacant posts of engineers in the public health engineering department (PHED), government polytechnics, BIT-Sindri and the irrigation department. It has written to the science and technology department to submit a list of vacant posts of engineers in other departments by June end so that a combined exam can be held.

The commission, which has advertised to fill vacant posts of registrars, finance officers, controller of exams, inspector of colleges, librarians, deputy registrar, assistant registrars and assistant librarians, in universities will soon hold the Jharkhand Eligibility Test (JET) on the pattern of National Eligibility Test (NET) to fill vacant posts of university and college teachers.

On the civil services front, the commission is planning to hold the main examinations on July 30 and the preliminary test for the second civil services examinations in November.

“The commission has requested the government to make available examination centres in Ranchi. The examinations will be held for about 20 days in two shifts. About 5,200 candidates will take the mains and only three to four centres will be needed if the administration makes available colleges with big buildings. But more centres will be needed if colleges or school with small buildings are made available,” JPSC officials said.

Having bitter experience in the past, the commission has already sent letters to all government departments to furnish list of vacancies and appointment rules so that they could be filled through the second civil services exams, sources in the JPSC said.

“Normally, the personnel department coordinates with other departments to ensure that information regarding vacant posts is provided to the commission on time. But, the commission has written letters to all departments this time as only two departments — personnel and labour and employment — had furnished details for the first civil services examinations and that too after repeated requests,” sources said.

JPSC acting chairperson Dilip Prasad said the commission was trying to hold the preliminary examinations for state’s second civil services in November. “We are trying to regularise the exams for recruitment in different departments. We will soon publish our annual calendar for examinations so that aspirants can make their plans accordingly,” he said.

Asked why the number of posts to be filled by the civil services exams was dismal, Prasad said,” the commission is an examining body. Its work is to conduct exams and recommend names of successful candidates against vacant posts. Vacancies and appointment rules are provided by the government and until we are asked we cannot proceed.”

“Only the personnel department and the labour and employment department have sent requisition for filling vacant posts so far. We are holding the first civil services exams to fill 75 posts only. If any department sends requisition for filling vacancies now, it can be done only through the next exams,” Prasad said.

Sources in the personnel department said if all posts are filled up within a year, there will be no vacant posts for the next examinations. “It is better to fill the posts in phases otherwise there will be no vacancies for the next year. This is the reason why the government is having second thoughts on increasing the retirement age to 60 years as it would block the chances of youths,” sources added.

Delay in cadre division is one of the reasons behind the dismal figure of vacancies being forwarded to the commission. Unless the cadre division is finalised, the exact number of vacancies cannot be known, sources said.