The recent incident in which a junior engineer working on a contractual basis was slapped by the local legislator for demolishing a tenement during monsoons, allegedly at the behest of a builder, has yet again highlighted the need of regular staffers in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for sensitive postings involving technical expertise.
Despite having a much-needed requirement of at least 50 junior engineers, the strength in the MBMC is limited to less than half.
MBMC has a staff requirement of 50 junior engineers
Moreover, most of the junior engineers on the permanent pay roll have been recently promoted as sectional engineers. As a stop gap arrangement to fill the void, the civic administration roped in a private manpower agency to hire 43 junior engineers (diploma holders) last year. Out of the 43 contractual junior engineers, 13 are posted in the anti-encroachment wings attached to the local ward offices, 18 with the Public Works Department (PWD), two in the Tree Authority, five each in the water supply department and town planning wing.
It has been alleged that these junior engineers (several of them are kin of local politicians and former corporators) are rendering their services in exchange of meagre and delayed salaries, which could turn into determinants of indulgence in shady activities.
Salary of MBMC engineers
In the first couple of months the engineers were paid ₹21,000 per month which was later reduced to ₹16,000, sources revealed. “In am not aware about the exact amount being paid to the junior engineers. I will confirm and revert,” said Abhay Shinde who heads the manpower supply agency. Although the MBMC top brass silently grumbles over the staff crisis which according to them had been hampering the day-to-day work, rationalization of staffing pattern towards fresh recruitment of additional staff to supplement the existing strength aimed at improving urban governance and service delivery is yet to see the light of the day.
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