Jal Nigam board likely to discuss fresh recruitment

After sacking 853 junior engineers and 335 clerks appointed in the state’s Jal Nigam during Samajwadi Party (SP) rule, officials are preparing for a board meeting

After sacking 853 junior engineers and 335 clerks appointed in the state’s Jal Nigam during Samajwadi Party (SP) rule, officials are preparing for a board meeting on Friday where the issue of putting out an advertisement for fresh recruitment will come up.

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The government is yet to decide if those sacked will get a chance to apply again when Yogi Adityanath government opens recruitments for 1188 posts even as those whose services were terminated continued to protest outside the Jal Nigam office.

“We want to know what’s our fault since the government terminated our services without giving us a chance to explain ourselves. They didn’t even wait till Holi,” a protester said.

However, the government could offer these candidates a fresh chance to apply again when recruitments open. “No decision has been taken but as of now, the fact is no action has been initiated against them. The final terms and conditions of recruitments would of course follow in the advertisement and that’s when the picture would be clear,” an official said.

An inquiry had revealed that of the 1188 sacked, 175 had benefitted when their marks were increased.

There were reports that an FIR could be registered against them but officials said that the government hadn’t yet taken a call on this.

“At Friday’s meeting, the Jal Nigam board would be informed about termination of the employees. The issue of giving advertisements for fresh recruitments too would come up,” an official said.

As of now, an attempt is on to identify officials who were tasked with the recruitment exercise during the SP rule for which advertisements were made on June 18, 2016, said Jal Nigam officials.

“The issue is still being discussed but as far as recovery goes, in Jal Nigam we have a practice of making recoveries though if it happens, this could be the first when it would be done for administrative reasons like improper conduct of recruitment exam,” said an official.

The official was responding to the question whether the board would also discuss the issue of making recovery from the officials who were tasked with the recruitment exercise during SP rule.

Jal Nigam comes under the urban development department. When the appointments were made senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan was the state’s urban development minister and thus also headed the Jal Nigam. Khan, along with his wife Tazeen Fatima and son Abdullah Azam, is behind bars in connection with the allegedly forged date of birth of his son Abdullah and could be headed for more trouble as he too is an accused by SIT set up to probe the recruitment scam.

Government officials said SIT probe has established that there were grave irregularities in appointment.

Jal Nigam MD Vikas Gothalwal said the matter would be put up before Jal Nigam board so that clearance to act against officials and make recovery could be sought.

Apart from Azam Khan, the SIT had also registered FIRs against the then Jal Nigam MD PK Ashudani, then secretary of urban development SP Singh (now retired), Afaaq Ahmad, the then OSD of Azam Khan and the then chief engineer Anil Kumar Khare.