For want of candidates,1 in 3 engineering posts vacant at BMC

Out of the total 1.27 lakh the civic body employs,3,500 are engineers with technical departments such as roads,water,water supply projects,storm water drains,sewerage operations,solid waste management,development plan,building proposals,planning and development,mechanical and electrical and city engineers. The vacant posts comprise two of DMC (sewerage operations and environment),four of departmental chief engineers,24 of deputy chief engineers,91 of executive engineers,100 of assistant engineers,492 of sub-engineers and 284 of junior engineers.

Additional municipal commissioner A K Singh,in charge of recruitment in BMC’s general administration department,said,“After reservation rules came into effect,a part of all government jobs have to be reserved for candidates from backward classes,and appointment from the general category is illegal. The fulfilment of a qualifying service period is also a reason; a deputy chief engineer has to have held that position for two years at least to get promoted to the post of chief engineer,” said Singh.

Engineers admitted that in many cases,labourers have to work at site without the guidance of even a junior engineer. “The currently employed engineers are always overburdened,” said an executive engineer who is in charge of the entire island city and has been handling charge of the western suburbs too for six months after the executive engineer there retired. No one else has been deemed competent enough to replace him.

Besides vacant posts,another issue civic engineers are protesting against is the non-implementation of the Sukhthankar Committee Report of 1997. The report suggested that engineering staff at ward level should work under the city engineers department; the existing pattern has them working under the assistant municipal commissioner whose job is of a non-technical nature. The report suggested the creation of a post called ward engineer on par with the assistant commissioner,and directly under the city engineers department; this engineer would sanction all technical works at the ward level.

The 13-year-old report was approved by municipal commissioner Swadheen Kshatirya on August 16 but he later stayed it on September 24. A senior engineer alleged some assistant commissioners had pressured the commissioner to stay the decision.

“All powers for ward level works are with the assistant commissioners. They do not want the creation of a technical post at the same level as theirs because their powers will be reduced. However,it is absolutely important to have a ward-level leader with required technical knowledge to direct civic work,” said the official.