CSWO opposes Secretariat's intention

400 employees’ job regularization

From A Correspondent

SHILLONG, April 9: The Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO) has opposed the intention of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat to regularize over 400 temporary employees.

According to CSWO president, Agnes Kharshiing these employees were appointed through political patroge, and not appointed as per law depriving many unemployed youth who are looking for a job legally.

“The CSWO warns the officials that this is a government of the people and not a house run by one or two people who can make and break rules and procedures,” Kharshiing said.

The CSWO also said that the state government’s Fince Department, should not release any funds for the payment of adhoc employees, regularized illegally in the Meghalaya Assembly Secretariat or anywhere else,  as service rules have to be followed and posts have to be duly advertised giving a chance to everyone to participate and not only for the favoured ones.

She also said that those in government knows that service rules have to be framed for all established services in the State of Meghalaya, but time and again in many departments officials including politicians abuse their powers and indulge in favouritism and nepotism and discourage the legitimate rights of direct recruit who struggle and work hard for a government job on merit.

“Adhoc Appointments are time and again allowed in various departments of the state, in order to favour and protect those adhoc/temporary employees who are alleged to be relatives and favourites of  ministers, MLAs and secretaries to the government and this is a bad policy should be immediately addressed by the government. Government had also set up years back a separate cell in the Personnel & AR (A) Department to deal specifically with framing of Service Rules,” Kharshiing informed.

She said that a Proforma was also prepared in this regard by the Personnel & AR (A) Department seeking information to be furnished from all departments of the state, for each established service.

But she said that it seems the proforma was ignored and secretariats were created to evade supervision and allowing illegality affecting thousands of youth applying for jobs legally, as they have no political patrons and want a job because of their merit.

It may be mentioned that the Meghalaya Assembly Secretariat is contemplating to regularise temporary employees who were appointed till March 31, 2014. There are about 450 temporary employees who were appointed during the tenure of ED Marak, MM Danggo and Charles Pyngrope as Speaker. The Meghalaya Assembly and its Secretariat have 70 peons, eight gardeners, 15 sweepers, 19 attendants, 11 drivers and 14 typists among others. The process of regularising the 435 posts has already started.