The Margao Municipal Council building. Captured by : The Goan/File photo
MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s recruitment process to fill up the 11 posts of Lower Divisional Clerks (LDCs), a year after a similar exercise was scrapped in controversial circumstances, has thrown up a host of questions in the corridors of the Municipality and outside.
Reason: The MMC recruitment drive was scrapped by the government in August last year upon a note put up by Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane, directing the then Director of Urban Development to insist that all recruitments in the civic bodies be conducted either by the Director of Urban Development or through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
A year later, the Margao Municipal Council has gone ahead with the recruitment of 11 LDCs, besides a mason and supervisor, raising questions about the changing circumstances that have paved the way for the MMC to advertise the vacancies afresh; why the MMC did not fill up the vacant posts through the Staff Selection Commission when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has publicly supported the SSC to ensure transparency and rule out manipulation; whether local municipal bodies do not come under the ambit of the SSC; and whether the Director of Urban Development has given the go-ahead signal to the Margao civic body to fill up the vacant posts against the backdrop of the Urban Development Minister’s fiat issued last year.
That’s not all. If the avowed objective behind setting up the Staff Selection Commission is to ensure transparency in the recruitment process, why are local bodies not brought under the purview of the Commission? This assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s repeated statements that all Class C posts will be filled up via the SSC.
Moreover, Margao Municipal Council’s decision to recruit the 11 posts of LDCs departmentally further assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of reports circulating in the corridors of the civic body and outside that the kith and kin of ruling city fathers have set their eyes on the vacant posts in lieu of supporting the ruling panel. In fact, a ruling councillor had made a statement a year ago that he had supported the ruling BJP-backed panel after being promised a job for his kin.
Interestingly, Margao Municipal Chairperson Damu Shirodkar has claimed that the civic body has gone ahead with the recruitment with NOC from the Director of Urban Development. “The MMC recruitment process has been initiated with the nod from the government,” Damu claimed.
Madganvcho Awaaz leader Prabhav Naik, however, cried foul over the MMC’s recruitment process. “When Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has announced that all group C posts will be recruited via the Staff Selection Commission, I see no rationale behind the MMC’s decision to advertise the posts departmentally. Educated youths must get jobs on merit,” he added.
