MC Commissioner Pradeep Aggarwal on Tuesday ordered mass transfers in various departments. As per the orders, 13 superintendents, 38 inspectors and 96 clerks from all four zones (A,B,C,D) of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation were re-shuffled. The orders said that “employees should join their new offices within hours on the same day” to avoid any inconvenience to the public. “The step was needed as I regularly got complaints. Also, many employees had been in the same office and department for years. More transfers in drawing, health and finance branch will be done in the coming days once these employees settle down,” Aggarwal told Newsline. The majority of employees transferred on Tuesday were from water, sewerage and house tax/property tax department where residents complained of continuous harassment and corruption. The step was long overdue as sources said that the majority of employees transferred on Tuesday had been sitting in the same offices and departments for as long as 10 years. A source from the MC headquarters said, “Employees were not transferred for years. Some had been sitting in the same office and department since they joined their service. It is an appreciable step from the commissioner’s side as now there will be reduction in public harassment and corruption.” Employees in the drawing branch, health department, finance branch — also dealing with public directly — have not been transferred for more than three to five years. In these departments too, some employees have been sitting since they joined office 10 to 15 years back, as per sources.
