the goan I network
MARGAO
Resentment is brewing in the corridors of the Margao Municipal Council over the inordinate delay by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) in finalizing the list of employees eligible for promotions.
That’s not all. Municipal employees are sore that neither the Municipality nor the government has extended the revised pay scale applicable for the staffers in the event that promotions are not effected on time.
The last DPC was held around three years ago in 2015 and the ongoing exercise has been dragging on for over a year now, with no sign of any relief forthcoming from the Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) or the Margao Municipal Council.
The DPC, which was held earlier this year, had brought good news for the Municipal employees as the exercise was conducted after a couple of postponements.
Sadly, the recommendations of the DPC has been kept on hold by the DMA on grounds that the DPC has filled up three posts which had all lapsed in January this year.
MMC officials, however, begged to differ. They pointed out that the three posts of site supervisor, UDC and Head clerk, were all valid when the civic body had taken up the DPC in May last year.
“When the DPC was first set up, the three posts were very much valid. We have to take into account whether the posts were valid or lapsed when the DPC was set up,” maintained an MMC official, saying the government cannot keep the process of hold, affecting the careers of many an employee.
“Because of the delay in finalizing the DPC recommendations, many an employee has been denied promotional avenues over the last three years. The government should direct the DMA to act fast and expedite the process,” remarked another employee.
Officials in the know pointed out that after outgoing Margao Municipal Chief Officer, Johnson Fernandes impressed upon the DMA that the three posts which had been taken as lapsed are very much alive and valid, the file will now be sent to the Finance department for approval.
MMC employees are also upset that the civic body has not extended the pay scales to all those who have not got promotions over a period of 10 years.
The last time such a pay scale was given to the employees was in 2011, but only a few select employees had benefited from the scale, leaving many a beleaguered employee high and dry.
