MNS, Sena want postal jobs for locals

After the railways, it is the postal department. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has warned the Post and Telegraph Department not to bypass local candidates while recruiting postmen.

After the railways, it is the postal department.

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The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has warned the Post and Telegraph Department not to bypass local candidates while recruiting postmen.

A written examination will be held on Sunday to fill up 437 vacancies for postmen across the state. The exam will be held in the city at six centres. Of a total of 4,500 candidates, 2,500 are from outside the state.

The party, which has in the past taken up the cause of the sons of the soil, has demanded that locals should be recruited to fill up these vacancies.

“We will not let a single postman to function if locals are not recruited to the post,” said Sandeep Deshpande, vice president, students’ wing of MNS. “How can any outsider work if he does not know Marathi?”

Deshpande have also demanded that the postal department incorporate a clause that candidates should have passed the Class 10 exam with Marathi as one of the languages.

A similar situation arose last month during an exam in city for recruitment of clerks to 1,100 posts in State Bank of India. The party had made a similar demand that locals be recruited.

Not to be left behind, the Shiv Sena too also staged a demonstration outside the General Post Office on Saturday.

“We will keep a close watch on the exam centres and will take action if our boys are discriminated,” said Pandurang Sakpal, district chief (South Mumbai).

Chief Postmaster General (Maharashtra and Goa), M.S. Bali, sought to allay the fears of the parties.

“We will ensure that selected candidates know Marathi and are domicile citizens of the state,” said Bali. He said it is generally seen that 95 per cent of postmen are locals.

Last week, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said his party would take action against cellphone service providers for segregating Mumbai from Maharashtra by dividing it into separate circles, charging different tariff structures.

This week, Sena Members of Parliament led a delegation to Communications Minister A. Raja, urging him to include Mumbai in Maharashtra Circle.