Chandigarh MC hired 1,081 surplus staff sans Finance Dept approval: Audit report
Sandeep Rana
Chandigarh, June 13
“Without sanction” from the UT Finance Department, the city Municipal Corporation hired 1,081 more employees than the sanctioned staff in its Medical Officer of Health (MOH) wing, the local Audit Department has pointed out.
The report stated that in the MOH wing, against 2,174 sanctioned posts, 3,261 posts were filled, 1,081 more than the sanctioned staff. These 1,081 employees were hired through agencies.
“These 1,081 posts, filled through the outsourcing mode, have not been sanctioned by the competent authority i.e. the UT Finance Department,” the report stated, referring to data as on December 31, 2020. The report was submitted in April 2022 and was procured through an RTI reply.
The report observed, “Details of various agencies from which 2,122 outsourced employees have been hired were not furnished. Details of the total payments made (including employer’s share of EPS and EPF, GST and other components of expenditure incurred) on account of outsourcing of these 2,122 employees during 2020-21 were also not furnished. The matter was brought to the notice of the MC during the course of the audit, but no reply was furnished till the closure of the audit process.”
RTI activist RK Garg said, “It is shocking to learn that against government rules, the civic body went on to hire surplus employees. There should be a high-level inquiry into the matter. The MC has many surplus employees in the sanitation wing too, but despite this, we slipped to the 66th rank in the Swachhta rankings.”
An official reasoned that this was done to meet the requirement of sanitation staff in some areas.
On this, MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “It was done through the MC House and the Secretary, Local Government. In 2005, the strength was 2,174 and 1,200 employees were added later.”
‘Hold high-level probe’
It is shocking that the MC went on to hire surplus employees. There should be a high-level inquiry into the matter. — RK Garg, RTI activist
