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Ludhiana | Amid credit row, CM announces regularisation of 3,600 employees
The moves comes despite the pending inquiry over inclusion of ‘dead and non-existent’ employees in the list of contractual staff to be regularised. The CM made the announcement at an event in Ludhiana even as the MC house had, on July 25, approved the resolution of regularisation of employees with a condition that the lists would be scrutinised.
At a time when different political parties are indulging in a credit war over regularisation of contractual employees (sweeper and sewermen), chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced the regularisation of around 3,600 employees during the Independence Day celebrations in the city. The CM also handed over appointment letters to two employees as a symbolic gesture.
The moves comes despite the pending inquiry over inclusion of ‘dead and non-existent’ employees in the list of contractual staff to be regularised.
The CM made the announcement even as the MC house had, on July 25, approved the resolution to regularise the employees with a condition that the lists would be scrutinised.
As Congress enjoys majority in the MC house and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is ruling the state, Congress and AAP have been indulging into a credit war over regularisation of employees ahead of municipal elections, expected to take place by the end of the year.
Just ahead of the Independence Day event, the local bodies’ department had also sent a letter to the MC on August 13 stating that the MC could take the decision regarding regularisation of employees on its own, but as per the norms.
One of the MC officials, requesting anonymity, said the MC employees’ union also had a meeting with AAP MLAs last week and the union had also mounted pressure on the government to make the announcement during Independence Day celebrations to avoid agitation.
The members of Sewermen/Safai Karamchari Sangharsh Committee also organised an event outside the MC’s Zone-A office on Tuesday and stated that the decision to regularise the employees had been taken up only after the union raised an agitation last month, demanding the same .
The leader of opposition in the MC house, SAD councillor, Jaspal Giaspura, said the lists had to be scrutinised and they had taken up the matter with MC commissioner Shena Aggarwal. Aggarwal assured that the appointment letters to the rest of the employees would be given only after scrutinising the lists.
Earlier, during the general house meeting of MC held on July 25, councillors of different parties, including Jaspal Giaspura, Mamta Ashu, Baljinder Bunty, Swarandeep Chahal, had raised objections over the inclusion of ‘dead and non-existent’ employees in the list of 3,593 contractual employees and sought revision of lists. An inquiry was marked to joint commissioner Ankur Mahindroo and a committee of councillors was asked to review the lists. The inquiry is still not complete.
Mayor Balkar Sandhu said the CM had made the announcement and the government might had taken some decisions at its own level. The inquiry regarding the lists is not yet complete and that list would be presented in the next general house meeting for the house to take the final decision.
Meanwhile, AAP MLA (Ludhiana West) Gurpreet Gogi said the CM had not jumped the gun and only two letters were handed over as a symbolic gesture. “The announcement has been made and the rest of the letters will be given after scrutinising the lists properly. The final lists of employees will also be displayed in the MC offices,” he said.
