Doctors serving in rural areas are up in the arms against the Chairman Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) for depriving them of reservation benefits in Post Graduate courses.

The protesting doctors allege that incumbent Chairman BOPEE, Muhammad Ashraf Bukhari has changed the rules that governed the BOPEE from last decade.

Jammu Kashmir Government in 2005 had formulated a policy under which those doctors serving 20 kilometers away from the municipal limits of Srinagar and Jammu Municipal Corporations were eligible for 10% reservation in Post Graduate courses including MD, MS and MDS, provided these doctors qualify NEET.

“Government implemented this policy in letter and spirit from past 12 years. The policy mentioned only Municipal Corporations of Srinagar and Jammu and not the Municipal Committees existing in rural areas.

Doctors allege ‘change’ in rulesEverything changed once Muhammad Ashraf Bukhari assumed the charge. He included the Municipal Committees in his rule and has been depriving the deserved doctors from the reservation benefits. A doctor from Srinagar serving in far-flung Tanghdar from past 10 years is being told that he is not serving in rural area because Municipal Committee exists there. Similarly a doctor serving in far flung belt of Aarizal is deprived of the reservation benefit on the same pretext. This is injustice towards the doctors serving in far flung areas,” Dr Sajad told a local news gathering agency.

BOPEE Chairman failed to define rural areas of Kashmir. “For him, every part of Kashmir is urban,” said another doctor adding that even Court admonished the BOPEE in this regard.

When contacted, Chairman BOPEE, Muhammad Ashraf Bukhari said that they are waiting for the court verdict. “If court upholds the views of doctors, we will accept it,” he said.

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