SRINAGAR: Jammu Kashmir Peoples Conference President and MLA Handawara, Sajad Lone on Friday criticised the administration for what he described as a confusing and exhausting bureaucratic maze surrounding the JKAS age-relaxation decision, warning that aspirants have been left in unprecedented uncertainty.
Lone said the issue has once again been reduced to the movement of a “file,” with the Chief Minister’s Office reportedly sending it to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, which has allegedly returned it seeking approval of logistical costs — a circular impasse offering no clarity to students preparing for the competitive examination.
He said the prevailing ambiguity is “unnerving and an impediment” to exam preparation. Urging the Chief Minister to break the deadlock, Lone called for a clear public statement from the CM’s Office to end the confusion.
Lone argued that the age-relaxation demand is rooted in fairness, noting that the all-India open merit upper age limit is 38 years, compared with 32 years in JK. He questioned why, despite multiple post-2019 administrative changes, this rule has not been aligned, reiterating his support for relaxation.
He concluded by describing the episode as another case of administrative blame-shifting — “whether ‘UTH’ did it or ‘TUTH’ did it” — while aspirants remain stuck in limbo.
