E-Paper
43 contractual engineers, SDOs working for Ludhiana MC get cessation notices
Financial crisis has been cited as the reason in the notice by the outsourcing company.
Amid the Covid-19 crisis, 43 contractual junior engineers (JEs) and sub-divisional officers (SDOs) deputed in the bridges and roads (B&R) department, light branch and horticulture wing of the municipal corporation (MC) have been served cessation notices by the outsourcing firm concerned.
As per the officials, notices were served to the contract employees because the higher authorities were not satisfied with their performance. However, financial crisis has been cited as the reason in the notice by the outsourcing company. The higher authorities would be observing their work for a month now before the MC takes its final decision.
Out of 43, 37 employees work in the B&R department, while the others are engaged work the light branch and horticulture wing. Most of them were appointed in 2016. The contracts of employees working in the operations and maintenance cell have been renewed.
An official requesting anonymity said, “The notices have been served amid the row over inferior quality roads being constructed by contractors, with MC officials failing to keep a check on the same.”
Stating that most of the work is done by them, the JEs and SDOs rued that the MC should not terminate their services at this time of health and economic crisis.
“The MC is already facing staff crunch, so how will it carry out the development projects without proper staff. Most of the field work is done by JEs and SDOs as the executive and superintending engineers remain involved in office work. The MC should reconsider the decision as it would also result in unemployment,” a contractual JE said.
Mayor Balkar Sandhu said, “These employees are under observation by the MC. Those found working satisfactorily will get to keep their jobs.”
