AAP-led Chandigarh MC plans to hire staff through UT’s employment exchange wing

Outsiders employed more than Chandigarh residents amid corrupt practices, alleges AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor

After flagging the issue of corruption in hiring of outsourced/contractual employees in the municipal corporation (MC) before Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria earlier this month, AAP mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor on Tuesday said plans were afoot to recruit manpower in MC through UT administration’s employment exchange wing.

There have been reports that private agencies demand heavy bribes from residents for ensuring jobs in Chandigarh MC. As per allegations, the bribes are as high as ₹2 lakh for a job of sanitation worker (HT File)

“With more outsiders than city residents being employed in the MC amid corrupt practices, the recruitment through employment exchange will ensure that rules are followed in the recruitment process. The aim is to ensure transparency, promote hiring on regular posts and curb corruption in hiring of outsourced/contractual employees,” said Dhalor. The agenda can be taken up in the upcoming ouse meeting on September 26 for councillors’ approval.

There have been reports that private agencies demand heavy bribes from residents for ensuring jobs in the MC. As per allegations, the bribes are as high as ₹2 lakh for a job of sanitation worker. According to reports, some outsourced employees have claimed that they are being required to pay extra yearly fees from their salaries when a new contracting company assumes control.

As per MC’s budget estimates of 2023-24, as many as 2,425 regular employees were working in the civic body and 3,161 regular posts were vacant. In the same year, 5,527 outsourced employees were working in MC against the total posts of 5,891.

The strength of the outsourced employees already working with MC increased alarmingly to 7,172 in the MC 2024-2025 budget estimates, even when no explanation regarding sanctioned outsourced employee posts was mentioned.

The budget estimates also mentioned that against the 5,589 total regular posts, only 2,362 positions are filled and 3,227 are vacant.

As per figures, 1,645 outsourced employees were additionally hired in this fiscal.

In a letter to Kataria, the mayor had demanded an inquiry from an independent agency to look into the MC recruitments. The mayor had said, “As many as 7,171 outsourced employees have been engaged against the sanctioned vacant posts of 3,205, which are more than double the number of employees. I fail to understand why the MC is recruiting on an outsourced basis instead of offering regular jobs. A huge amount of funds, around ₹33 to ₹35 crore per month, is incurred on the salaries of outsourced employees whereas ₹12 to ₹14 crore is incurred per month on the regular employees.”

“We do not even know whether or not applications were invited to fill such posts and also if eligibility and experience for this post were scrutinised. Similarly, a post of statistical assistant is filled on outsource basis even before the superannuation of a regular employee. It has come to my notice that service rules have been relaxed to accommodate an individual, whereas the power to relax the service rules rests only with the administrator. The matter should be inquired from an independent agency,” the letter further stated.

In May this year, a fake contractor and his supervisor were arrested by the city police for duping over 400 people in Chandigarh on the pretext of providing them permanent jobs as MC sanitation workers. The scam is estimated at over ₹4 crore.