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3,700 PhD holders apply for messenger’s job in UP

POST WITH CLASS V ELIGIBILITY GETS 93K APPLICANTS

Pathikrit.Chakraborty@timesgroup.com

Lucknow:

More than 50,000 graduates, 28,000 PGs and 3,700 PHDs have applied for 62 posts of messengers — for which minimum eligibility is Class V — at the telecom wing of the UP police. The undergraduate and and postgraduate applicants also include MBAs and BTechs. Out of 93,000 applicants, only 7,400 have studied between Class V and Class XII.

According to police department sources, the 62 posts of peon-messenger have fallen vacant after 12 years. “The job is like that of a postman’s and the person has to deliver police telecom department’s messages from one office to the other,” they say.

Traditionally, the selection for the job requires a selfdeclaration that the applicant knows how to ride bicycle. However, with such a large number of ‘over-qualified’ applicants, now we are chalking out plan to hold a selection test, says an official.

Senior officials in the department told TOI that till the last day of application on August 16, they have received 93,500 applications for 62 posts. The main reason they attributed to this trend is lack of jobs in the market, while this job is full-time government job and also starting salary is ₹20,000.

ADG (telecom) P K Tewari told TOI that it was good that over-qualified candidate would be working in the department. “We would take work from them in other works also, technical candidates will also get faster promotion and will be asset to the department,” he said. “We are contemplating to change the pattern of the examination. As per the current standards of operation, the messenger peon must know how to ride a bicycle, but from this time we are also thinking of conducting a written examination to test the basic skills of candidates.”