Chandigarh: Grappling with acute shortage of regular staff, the MC has approached the Chandigarh administration seeking the revival of 87 posts that were abolished around five years ago. The civic body has argued that a sharp increase in its responsibilities and jurisdiction has made it difficult to discharge statutory and public functions effectively without adequate manpower.In a communication sent to the UT local govt department, the MC has requested approval from the competent authority for restoring the lapsed posts, contending that the workload has grown substantially over the years but there has been no corresponding increase in sanctioned strength.“The municipal corporation has been entrusted with various new projects, cells, and expanded jurisdictions. Therefore, in the absence of requisite manpower, it has become increasingly difficult to ensure smooth administrative functioning and to fulfil these critical statutory and public obligations effectively,” the MC stated in its letter.The civic body has sought the revival of 87 posts spread across multiple departments. Clerks account for the largest share, with 59 posts proposed for restoration. Other posts include 15 steno-typists, five sub-inspectors (enforcement), two drivers and one post each of surveyor, tax collector, data entry operator, section officer, law officer and translator.The MC also raised questions on the 2020 decision to abolish the posts. In its representation, the civic body argued that while the decision was based on GoI instructions issued on April 12, 2017, a key clause relating to autonomous bodies was overlooked.According to the MC, the 2017 instructions specifically provided that separate directions would be issued regarding autonomous bodies. The corporation has maintained that, being an autonomous body, those instructions were not directly applicable to it. The letter further states that no separate orders regarding abolition of posts were issued by any wing of the MC.“Due to abolition of posts in 2020, the said posts could not be advertised or filled up during the year 2020, despite the fact that the Govt of India’s instructions on 12.04.2017 were not applicable as MC being an autonomous body,” the corporation stated.The demand for reviving posts comes at a time when the MC is heavily dependent on outsourced manpower. Sources said the corporation currently has around 1,750 regular employees out of a workforce of more than 8,500. Majority of employees are engaged through outsourcing agencies.Officials said the MC’s responsibilities have expanded significantly in recent years. Apart from managing functions such as petrol pumps, the Swachh Bharat Mission, solid waste management and the property tax cell, the civic body has also taken over newly added villages under its limits and expanded the jurisdiction of its enforcement wing.It has additionally established a vendor cell and is handling responsibilities related to gaushalas, cattle-catching operations, dog control, monkey menace mitigation and compensation claims in dog-bite cases.The corporation has also cited increasing obligations under the Right to Service Act, public grievance redressal systems, CPGRAMS and the “AM Chandigarh” digital platform.Sources said that since the proposal involves creation or revival of posts and has financial implications, the matter is likely to require approval at higher levels, including that of the Punjab governor/UT administrator.BOX 1Headline: Key responsibilities highlighted by MC–Management of petrol pumps, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), solid waste management (SWM) and the property tax cell.–Transfer of newly added villages under MC limits and expansion of the enforcement wing’s jurisdiction.–Establishment and operation of the vendor cell.— Management of gaushalas, cattle-catching operations, pest control and dog cell activities, mitigation of monkey menace and processing dog-bite compensation cases.–Compliance with the Right to Service Act, grievance redressal mechanisms, CPGRAMS and management of the “AM Chandigarh” digital platform.According to the MC, these additional responsibilities have been assigned without any corresponding increase in sanctioned manpower.BOX 2: Posts among 87 sought to be revived–Clerk: 59–Steno-typist: 15–Sub-inspector (enforcement): 5–Driver: 2–Surveyor: 1–Tax collector: 1–Data entry operator: 1–Section officer: 1–Law officer: 1–Translator: 1–Total posts: 87The civic body has argued that these posts were abolished despite provisions indicating that separate orders were to be issued for autonomous bodies such as the MC.
