Port Blair, Feb 23: The Human Rights Organization has demanded permanent absorption of ex-contract Junior Engineers against the vacant posts of Junior Engineers in APWD.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde, the Home Minister of India Mr. C.Saravanan, General Secretary of HRO’s A & N Unit mentioned that during 26th Dec 2004 a tsunami hit In Andaman and Nicobar Islands caused a massive destruction of life and properties. The A&N Administration was in great responsibility to restore the essential requirements like water supply, electric connections, road connectivity repairing of administrative building and to provide temporary shelters for the affected people by the Tsunami. So the local administration assigned the responsibility of restoration of livelihood of Tsunami affected general public to APWD.
In order to comply the direction of the Administration and to complete the Tsunami work in time APWD made appointment of contract technical staffs for one year against the vacant post of Junior Engineers in the department.
As the tsunami rehabilitation work continued for years, consequently the service of contract junior engineers was extended from time to time. Meanwhile the APWD took initiation to fillup the vacant posts of junior engineers on regular basis and in the process of selection the ex-contractual junior engineers were allowed for the selection test as a result few of the ex-contractual junior engineers got appointment on regular basis.
While the department was in the process of filling up the vacant post on regular basis, the contractual staff made an appeal before the Hon’ble CAT, High court and the supreme court, seeking preference in posting and to fill the vacant posts among the ex-contract junior engineers.
Finally the case was disposed from the Hon’ble Supreme court of India with the verdict that ‘in case any selection takes place, then due credit to the past service of the petitioner may be given. The Govt may also consider the relaxation of age’.
Against the verdict of Hon’ble Supreme court of India the Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Administration proposed for giving relaxation to those junior engineers who served for A&N Islands after the tsunami by reserving 50% of the total vacancies for them.
Even the Chief secretary suggested for filling up those reserved posts on seniority basis without taking any examination or interview as they already been found to be capable to deliver the service of junior engineers in the department.
“On taking the ultimate decision in this regard the concerned authority of the Administration viz Commissioner cum secretary took decision without considering the note of chief secretary i.e reserving 50% of the total vacancies to the contract junior engineers and given preference of 20% during first stage (written test) and another Preference of 20% for second stage (interview) with given age relaxation. The above decision of Administration by giving relaxation in test, interview and age relaxation ignoring the suggestion of Chief Secretary is totally an unfair decision,” Mr. Saravanan said in his letter.
He said that on the other hand the ex-contract junior engineers those engaged in Electricity Department of the local Administration were regularized after obtaining Administrative approval from the Chief Secretary whereas in case of ex-contract junior engineers worked in APWD, the Administration adopted dual policy and modification in selection process in the posting of junior engineers in APWD results the ex-contractual juniors unemployed.
“Most of the ex-contract junior engineers are likely to be over aged, few were married and due to financial constrain they discharged their duties with devotion and sincerely with the expectation that their service will be regularized in future. And it is appreciable that the Electricity Department considered the past service of ex-contract junior engineers and are regularized but in APWD the issue of permanent absorption of ex-contract junior engineers is still incomplete. It is therefore, requested your kindness to take an appropriate action for permanent absorption ex-contract junior engineers in the post of junior engineers in Andaman & Nicobar Public Works Department (APWD) at the earliest please,” Mr. Saravanan added.
