80 vacancies remain in Nagaland police constable recruitment

Dimapur: Nagaland deputy chief minister Y Patton informed the state assembly on Monday that there are 80 unfulfilled vacancies in the ongoing police constable recruitment in the state.

Replying to a starred question by MLA and adviser Tongpang Ozukum, whether some districts were unable to fill their allotted quota in the recruitment due to candidates failing the physical efficiency test, Patton said certain districts have indeed been unable to fill their allotted quota due to candidates failing the physical fitness test.

Ozukum sought details on the total number of posts that remain unfilled.

Replying to the query, Patton said Mokokchung has 43 unfilled posts, Longleng 1, Tseminyu 3, and Wokha 1, while Dimapur, Chumoukedima and Niuland together have 30 male and 2 female unfilled posts.

While acknowledging the reply, Ozukum appreciated the initiative of the home department in conducting the constable recruitment after a long gap, stating that it was a welcome step, particularly for the unemployed youth of the state.

Raising a supplementary question, Ozukum also asked whether the unfilled posts would be filled through a separate recruitment for the concerned districts.

Patton said there will be no separate recruitment for these vacancies, and the posts will also not be included in the next departmental recruitment advertisement. Instead, the backlog vacancies will be advertised separately by the department through a recruitment drive, and the posts will remain within the respective districts and tribes concerned, he added.

During the discussion, several members, including chief minister Neiphiu Rio, MLAs Kuzholuzo Nienu, Achumbemo Kikon and Pongshi Phom, also raised concerns and offered suggestions regarding the physical and written tests.

The members suggested that the department should review the weightage of the written examination and place greater emphasis on the physical test, considering that policing largely requires physical capability.

Patton said the views expressed by the members have been taken into consideration, and a report will be submitted after review.