THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO: A year after the recruitment process was scrapped by the government in controversial circumstances, the Margao Municipal Council has advertised the vacancies to fill up the posts of 11 LDCs, but the question that did the rounds in the corridors of the Civic body is simple “ will the kith and kin of the ruling City Fathers succeed in getting the jobs in lieu of supporting the ruling party to form the Council in 2022?
An advertisement issued by the Margao Municipal Council on Tuesday showed that the Civic body has advertised vacancies to fill up 11 posts of LDCs, besides one site supervisor and one mason. Of the 11 LDC posts, five are in general category, while two posts each are reserved for OBC and STs, and one each for EWS and one candidate (Blindness and low vision).
Eligible candidates have been requested to apply for the posts by filling up the prescribed form to reach the office by hand delivery from today, October 23. The last date of applications is November 11 at 5 pm.
Compared to the 2022 exercise which sought to recruit eight LDCs besides other posts, before it was scrapped, this time the number of vacant posts of LDCs have gone up to 11 and this is attributed to the recent promotions taken place in the Civic body via the Departmental Promotion Committee.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered “ will the kith and kin of the City Fathers manage to get the LDC posts? At the time of Council formation in 2022, two ruling Councilors had claimed they had supported the BJP panel after being promised jobs for their kith and kin.
A city-based BJP leader remarked that the party will have to tread a cautious path least people accuse the ruling dispensation for nepotism. “On one hand, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has come clear by saying government jobs cannot be got by paying bribes. The MMC recruitment may send a wrong signal out if the kith and kin of Councilors get the jobs in the Civic body”, the leader remarked.
The LDC recruitment had kicked up a major row in August last year after the government told the municipality to cancel the recruitment process for the posts of LDCs, assistant mason and workers.
In fact, then Director of Urban development, Gurudas Pilarnekar had written to the then Margao Municipal Chief Officer, Gaurish Sankhwalkar to withdraw the advertisement inviting applications from eligible candidates to fill up the posts as cancelled based on a note put up by Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane.
The note issued by Urban Development Minister Vishwajit Rane in August 2022 had directed the Director that all recruitments in the councils are to be done either by the Director of Urban Development or through the Staff Selection Commission.
