administrative work continues to be affected, officials hope govt will accord sanction for contract staff
the goan I network
MARGAO
A change in guard at the South Goa district revenue administration seems to have brought no cheers for the hundreds of candidates, who had answered the walk-in-interview for the 59 posts of LDCs on temporary basis in the South Collectorate.
And, the ongoing political developments too do not augur well for the beleaguered candidates with an ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar admitted at the AIIMS, New Delhi, and major decisions on recruitment on hold for the moment.
In fact, if sources are to be believed, apart from the candidates who had high hopes of getting the temporary LDC jobs, even the district administration has begun to feel the heat over the huge delay in recruiting the LDCs.
It’s now seven months since then District Collector South Anjali Sehrawat had called for the walk-in-interviews for the 59 posts of LDCs in a bid to tide over the manpower shortage and streamline the administration. Over a thousand candidates had lined up at the District Collectorate on February 7 last before dawn to collect tokens and try their luck at the walk-in-interview.
While Sehrawat is no more holding the reigns of office at the District Collectorate after her transfer around two months ago, the situation has not changed for the better for the candidates post-appointment of Dr Tariq Thomas, IAS, as the new District Collector.
Sources in the know said that while the walk-in candidates have been anxiously awaiting calls from the district administration to know their fate, officials in the District Collectorate also look forward to the government to accord sanction either to recruit the successful candidates or grant approval for the recruitment of contract workers for the smooth functioning of the district administration.
While District Collector, Dr Tariq Thomas was not available for comment, sources revealed that the new Collector has moved a file to the government to accord sanction for the recruitment of the 59 LDCs on temporary basis or grant permission to engage staff on contract basis. “The District Collectorate has indeed been facing manpower constraints for some time given the additional duties and responsibilities of the revenue authorities. Even if the government has no plan to recruit candidates for the 59 posts, we have sought permission for contract staff after following all procedures in a transparent manner,” remarked an official.
Over 1000-odd candidates had made a beeline to the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex on February 7 last for the walk-in-interview, with many camping in the complex throughout the night, with the hope of getting the jobs, notwithstanding
that the posts were temporary in nature.
Request for staff at Sub-Registrar office bears no fruit
PANAJI: People’s woes at the Sub-Registrar’s office in the South Goa Collectorate are far from over. Of the almost 200 applications received daily for birth and death certificates at the office, the short-staffed office is able to process around 80 a day, and that too on condition that the internet doesn’t fail.
On days when the internet fails, the output is much less, thus leading to scores of people waiting in endless queues for hours outside the office. The Goan had reported a week ago how people from far and wide come as early as 5 in the morning to get their certificates, yet often go home disappointed at the end of the day. However, there seems to be no end to peoples’ woes. Sub-Registrar Domingos Martins informed ‘The Goan’ that he has received no update from the higher authorities, the Department of Planning and Statistics, on providing more staff. He claimed he has contacted the department repeatedly for more staff.
The Sub-Registrar office receives more than 150 applications per day, and this sometimes crosses the 200 mark. “I have written to the director and have even called and asked for additional staff, but our pleas are falling on deaf ears,” he lamented, adding that even just two more people would help ease the problems. “Maybe the government is working on it,” he added hopefully.
Currently, the office of the Sub-Registrar has four staff members -- one for entries, two for issuing birth certificates, one for RTI and other works. But the staff are helpless in the face of numerous applications received, as well as frequent internet problems. “To add to the number of applications we receive, existing staff also has to see to any mistakes in names that have to be corrected in certificates already issued,” explained the Sub-Registrar, who said looking at the work pressure, at times he has no choice, but to help out with the issuance of certificates.
“We are trying to help out the people as best as we can. But there is only so much we can do,” he said, reiterating the helplessness of his office in light of the problems they’re facing.
