MARGAO
Former Margao Municipal Chairperson Savio Coutinho on Sunday questioned the rationale behind the decision of the Margao Municipal Council to hold a Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meeting on Friday last when the previous recommendations made by the DPC are yet to be fulfilled.
Coutinho recalled that a year ago about 34 employees were given departmental promotion (DPC) by the Margao Municipal Council. He, however, hastened to add that till this date not a single employee seems to have benefited from this promotion.
“Salaries of these employees have not been increased as per their new post, but are getting the previous salary. According to sources in the municipality, even as the issues pertaining to the previous DPC are yet to be resolved, a fresh DPC meeting was called on Friday, had to be postponed as the representative from the DMA office could not attend”, he said.
He questioned: “How can another DPC meeting take place when the previous recommendations are yet to be fulfilled. This is a clear indication of some illegal acts likely to happen, which may probably lead to another litigation in the courts of law”.
While giving departmental promotion to around 34 employees of MMC, he said some workers were promoted to junior clerks and some to senior clerks and supervisors etc. “Thereafter, all these employees have been assigned the work by giving promotion letters, but as their salary fixation has not been decided yet, the benefit of salary increase has not been received by these promoted employees’, he said.
He added: “Even in the matter of 'MACP' to the employees, indifference can be seen in the Margao Municipality. Many people are deprived of this and some have retired, but they not benefited from it. Some retired employees have passed away and they have been deprived of their benefits”.
Saying that retired employees are entitled to receive provident fund, gratuity as well as leave encashment after completing all administrative tasks within six months prior to their retirement, Coutinho lamented “But that does not seem to be happening. Only Provident fund cheques are given while retiring, but other cheques do not come in the hands of some employees on retirement, such retired employees are seen making endless trips to the municipality in hope to get there hard earned money”.
He added: “Normally a family member of a municipal employee who dies while in service is employed as a 'dependent' and is paid daily wages. There are 14 such 'dependents' in Margaon municipality and some of them have been working on daily wages for over 10 to 12 years, and no steps have been taken by the Margao Municipality to regularize their services”.
