Reacting to the Ahmedabad Newsline report, Patel said the delay in appointing the commission chairman was because of the ban on fresh recruitment in government departments and GPSC had had little work to do. In the same breath, he, however, said the government would shortly initiate the process of appointing the GPSC chairman.

When contacted, Finance Minister Vajubhai Vala said the Government would exempt from the ban some vital departments like Health and Education rendering emergency services in the State. ``In special cases, the Government will allow recruitment in these departments to maintain emergency services'', he said.

And Health Minister Ashok Bhatt said the Chief Minister had assured him that the recruitment freeze would not be allowed to hamper the emergency services being catered for the people by the Health Department. As and when required, his department would recruit personnel to maintain vital services, Bhatt said.

Some 80 Class II posts have been vacant in the government hospitals in the State, while over 90 Class I posts, including those of assistant and associate professors, are vacant in medical colleges, Bhatt said, adding all these posts would be filled up in a phased manner.

The recent Government Resolution (GR) banning recruitment in the government departments has placed GPSC in a piquant situation, for it will delay the appointment of candidates who have cleared the written tests and the viva-voce. It will also delay the viva tests for those who have qualified in the written examinations.

Besides, the GR has also made it difficult for GPSC to clear the waiting lists of candidates awaiting appointments in the various departments.