Chief Officer strikes cautious note as process faces challenge
MARGAO
The recruitment process for Lower Division Clerks (LDCs) at the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has landed Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar in a delicate situation, as a writ petition challenging the process is set to come up for hearing before the High Court on Monday.
Even as some successful candidates have reportedly begun celebrating their selection and expressing gratitude to authorities within the civic body, confusion prevails over the official status of the recruitment exercise.
On Thursday, civic chief Damu Shirodkar confirmed that the MMC had finalised the list of successful candidates. However, a day later, Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar struck a cautious note while addressing the media, repeatedly maintaining that “the process is on.”
When questioned about the status of the recruitment and whether appointment letters had been issued, Narvekar refrained from giving a direct response. Instead, he consistently asserted that “the process is underway,” declining to elaborate further.
Sources indicated that the Chief Officer’s guarded stance may be linked to the writ petition filed by certain candidates challenging the recruitment procedure, which is scheduled for hearing on Monday.
“It appears that MMC does not want to send a signal that the civic body has cleared all decks for the appointment of the successful candidates when the writ petition is coming up before the High Court,” sources said.
With the matter now sub judice, attention shifts to the High Court proceedings next week, where a petition filed by one of the candidates along with an MMC staffer will be taken up for hearing. The outcome of the case is expected to determine the immediate course of action in the contentious recruitment process.
