Kohima, Nagaland, April 17 (HBTV): ‘Backdoor appointments’ or illegal appointments continue to persist in Nagaland. Addressing the media, the Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has expressed regret that rampant backdoor appointments are still ongoing despite its continuous interventions.

On April 10, the NSF submitted a letter to the chief secretary of Nagaland urging for immediate action to curb illegal appointments in the government establishments. The federation is said to have identified discrepancies and irregular appointments in 17 departments, totaling nearly 100 cases.

Following this finding, the NSF has demanded that the chief secretary ensure the termination of all those appointed through such means. A one-month deadline has been given, starting from April 10, for the departments to issue termination orders and to submit them to the NSF’s office.

The federation clarified that while it is currently withholding the names of the individuals involved to maintain confidentiality, the names will be made public once official termination orders are received from the departments.

The NSF emphasized that these irregularities affect posts of the pay level-three and over. They also raised concerns about irregular appointments in Public Sector Undertakings (PSU), pointing out that some of the existing service rules and bylaws of the PSUs allow direct appointments.

The Nagaland government had publicly assured its cooperation in addressing the issue. The NSF, in turn, has reiterated its commitment to continue investigating all departments and submit further representations where necessary.

 “We are serious about rooting out backdoor appointments, and this is only the beginning,” an NSF leader stated, signaling that more phases of scrutiny would follow.