Shopian, Jul 08 (KNO): The recent decision to shift the office of the Deputy Chief Education Officer (Dy. CEO) Shopian from the district headquarters to Chitragam has sparked strong criticism and widespread concern across the district, with local leaders, civil society members and residents terming it a politically motivated and inconvenient move.
Former MLA Shopian, Advocate Shabir Ahmad Kullay, along with prominent trade union leaders, civil society representatives and other political figures in a press conference questioned the rationale behind the relocation, alleging it was influenced by political bias.
They claimed that since the sitting MLA of Zainapora constituency, Showkat Hussain Ganaie, hails from Chitragam, the office was deliberately shifted there.
“The Dy. CEO is a district-level officer. His office should remain at the district headquarters to ensure accessibility for all, especially those coming from far-flung areas like Keller. Shifting the office to Chitragam will cause immense inconvenience to the public,” said Adv. Kullay, warning that if the decision is not revoked within seven days, protests will be launched.
They argued that instead of relocating the existing Dy. CEO office, the government should have created a new post for Zainapora constituency to cater to the area's educational monitoring needs. “This move will create confusion and unnecessary travel, particularly for stakeholders in Keller and other upper belt regions,” said one civil society member.
Some leaders further alleged that a junior lecturer has been appointed as Dy. CEO, compounding the issue.
Responding to the criticism, MLA Zainapora Showkat Hussain Ganaie in a press conference defended the decision, stating that the Dy. CEO’s role is primarily to monitor educational institutions in rural areas like Chitragam, Zainapora, Harmain, and Imamsahib, and that such decentralised supervision would help improve the quality of education.
“There is no need for people to visit the Dy. CEO office for administrative work when the CEO is available at the district headquarters. The Dy. CEO will focus purely on monitoring duties,” he said.
He dismissed the allegations of political interference, saying the officer posted in Chitragam is one of the senior-most and fully capable. “This issue is being unnecessarily politicised. Instead, efforts should be made to fill vacant key posts in the education department across the district,” Ganaie added.
The decision has also sparked outrage on social media, with many netizens questioning the logic and timing of the shift.
“Shopian is a small district—what was the need to shift the Dy. CEO office at all?” questioned a local user. Others highlighted the logistical challenges, pointing out that every official file will now have to go from CEO Shopian to Dy. CEO in Chitragam for signatures, causing delays and additional costs.
“If decentralisation was the goal, Zainapora—being the second-largest administrative centre in Shopian—should have been the natural choice. Chitragam has been picked clearly for political reasons,” read a comment, alleging interference by the MLA in the education department at the behest of Education Minister Sakina Itoo.
Stakeholders across Shopian have demanded that the government revoke the order and keep the Dy. CEO office stationed at the district headquarters for better accessibility, coordination, and public convenience.
“This isn’t decentralisation—it’s political favouritism at the cost of people’s ease. Let the people of Shopian decide: Is this justice?” questioned another person—(KNO)