Port Blair, May 28: On March 24, 2014 Andaman Sheekha had highlighted about the problems faced by the local trained officers in getting job work in Foreshore Sector Vessels as the entire work of engagement of officers was outsourced to a private firm.
Now it is learnt that, coming to the rescue of local youths, the Lt Governor has directed that the Directorate of Shipping Services should now gear up to undertake the Officer manning for the Foreshore Sector vessels directly.
Meanwhile, local qualified officers have lauded the efforts of Lt. Governor in this regard.
Andaman Sheekha in the same issue under the caption “Outsourcing of Services in DSS causes loss of several crores to Administration” had earlier highlighted that over the past years, more qualified officers, especially in the Junior Cadres, in the Shipping Sector, are now available within the islands.
The officers manning the Foreshore Sector vessels of the A&N Administration were being outsourced through a Manning Agency by open tendering ever since the commissioning of these ships in the year 2001-2002. This was being resorted to due to non-availability of suitable qualified officers within the islands as well as non availability of a suitable wherewithal/ set-up within the Directorate of Shipping Services to engage the required officers directly.
However, as the current manning contract for the Foreshore Sector comes to an end in June 2014 and to avoid any disruption to the Shipping Services, the Lt Governor has approved further outsourcing of office manning for these vessels by a Manning Agent through a transparent and competitive bidding system only for a further period of two years.
Whilst approving further outsourcing for period of two years, the Lt Governor has directed that the interest of the local eligible candidates should be safeguarded and the Officers taken on contract basis by the Manning Agents should be paid a minimum of INSA-MUI promulgated wages for their respective cadres. The fresh tender for outsourcing of Officer Manning of foreshore vessels will be floated by the Directorate of Shipping Services soon.
According to reports, the DSS has also been directed to set up a separate cell for this purpose within the Directorate with all necessary staff and equipment and also to collate and maintain a database of the available qualified officers within the islands as well as at mainland to fully take on the task of officer manning of foreshore vessel in-house by the Directorate at the end of this period of two years.
