The Department of Soil & Water Conservation has on Wednesday clarified that the two Junior Soil Conservation Officers who were terminated yesterday had been appointed on contract basis against NPSC requisition and asserted that the Department “had no intention intended to regularize their appointment whatsoever.”

The Department informed that it had been regularly requisitioning various categories of vacancies to the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) since its inception. It said that present contract appointment issue was done on 6th June 2016 with due clearance from competent authority against   requisitioned post and not otherwise or other way around and their contract had been extended yearly.

However, with the declaration of NPSC / CTSE result on 6th March 2024, the department had processed to the Government for termination of their contract service which was accepted   on 12th March 2024 and order issued accordingly by the Government, it added.

The Department said in its press release that there was never any ulterior motive for such contract service appointment except on humanitarian ground for their life sustenance as qualified Naga citizen.

Yesterday, the Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) had carried out a protest outside the Directorate of Soil and Water Conservation, prompting the Department to issue the termination letter for the two employees.

Read more: Govt is taking advantage because we are keeping silent: Meshelo Kath, CTAN Convenor