Frustration Grows as Kokrajhar Post Office Runs Out of IPOs, Applicants Turn to Black Market for Government Job Applications

OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOKRAJHAR: As the State government and the government of BTR issued circular for the government jobs in 3rd and 4th grades, thousands of applicants are running from pillar to post to avail Indian Postal Order (IPO) for applying jobs for the last couple of months. Now, the Central Selection Board of BTC had recently issued a circular for 3rd and 4th grade jobs forcing hundreds of candidates looking for IPO in the Kokrajhar Head Post Office but the applicants see a stick bill of “IPO Nil” in front of the post office.

The Sentinel correspondent recently went to the Kokrajhar Head Post Office and asked for an IPO but the officials said that the IPO was not available and could be available after a week but it was not available till today (October 28) and many applicants are seen running behind the agents available just outside the post office and collecting the IPO at double rate. The sticking of “IPO Nil” is yet to be removed, and has indicated that the officials are making an artificial crisis of IPO in the post office and made available just outside the office.

A guardian from Gossaigaon town (whose name has been withheld for security reasons) told The Sentinel that he had visited Kokrajhar numerous times to get an IPO for his daughter but was forced to return time and time again. Nevertheless, he received the IPO from an agent at Rs. 300 for an IPO of Rs. 150. He said the IPO was not available even in Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Goalpara Post Office but available in black market. He also said many of his guardian circles bought the IPO at a much higher rate ranging from Rs. 300 to Rs. 600. Another guardian of Kokrajhar town on Monday said that she obtained the IPO at Rs. 300 outside the post office from an agent and could submit the application only on the last date of submission today. She also said she heard the IPO was available in the hands of the agents, she sought an agent and found the IPO. She also questioned why Kokrajhar Post Office did business with the job seekers and demanded that there should be fair investigations on it as it could happen in any circular for seeking of government jobs and take stringent action on the officials involved in the black business. Meanwhile, the desperate IPO seekers demanded prompt action on the concerned officer and other officials involved in the black business of IPO. Additionally, since the employment circular would be an ongoing process, they urged that the District Commissioner take the initiative to look into it and take steps to ensure that it never occurs again.

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