the goan I network
MARGAO
The government has said it has no proposal to consider the absorption of LDCs working in the office of the Administrator of Comunidades, South Goa in South Goa Collectorate against vacant posts.
While admitting that the non-payment of salaries of the employees of the Administrator of Comunidades has been a perennial issue over the last one decade, the government in a written reply tabled on the floor of the House that it has no proposal to absorb the LDCs employed with the office of the South Goa Comunidade.
In early February last, the South Goa Comunidades Forum had urged the district Collector, South to absorb the 20 surplus LDCs presently working in the office of the Administrator of Comunidades into the Collectorate, South after then district Collector, Agnelo Fernandes invited applications for 147 post, including that of 92 LDCs.
The South Goa Comunidades Forum had insisted that the Collector, South Goa, in his capacity as the appointing authority, who had appointed the 20 LDCs “illegally” against non-existent/non-sanctioned posts in the office of Administrator of Comunidades, adding that it was now the moral and legal duty of the Collector of South Goa to give justice to the said employees as well as to the Comunidades and undo the wrongs committed in the past.
The Forum had even suggested that alternatively, the said 20 Comunidade LDC’s could be asked to apply for the vacancies and their case considered sympathetically while selecting the candidates considering their peculiar circumstances, evening saying that the last date for submission of applications could be extended as a special case.
The Forum drew attention of the Collector to the latest judgement of the Supreme Court in State of Bihar v. Kirti Narayan Prasad wherein the Court has reiterated that services cannot be regularised if the appointment was illegal and invalid.
For over a decade, the components/members of South Goa Comunidades have been demanding the retrenchment of employees of the office of Administrator of Comunidades South on grounds that the salary bill was a financial burden on the Comunidades and their invalid appointment against non-existing posts. The issue among those highlighted in Writ Petition no. 406/2009 filed by Celestino Noronha and others in the High Court of Bombay at Goa; wherein the Court, while disposing the petition, directed that a Committee chaired by Revenue Minister be constituted to study and give its recommendations on all issues raised in the petition.
The Comunidades Commission, which submitted its report to the Government in/around February 2016, after making an extensive study into the issue (of staffing position in the office of the Administrators of Comunidades), found that the sanctioned strength and the actual working strength was not in terms of the Code of Comunidades nor was it within the parameters of the Goa, Daman and Diu Comunidades Employees (Conditions of Service Act and Rules).
