IT News
Imphal, April 29:
The adage in Manipuri – ‘you may hide for 10 days, but will be caught one day’, is what seems to be happening in the Power Department of the Manipur Government, now bifurcated and corporatized into two – the Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL) and Manipur State Power Company Limited (MSPCL).
For eight years no one notices that 38 Asst. Engineers have been appointed in both the corporation on October 30, 2014 in two separate orders besides the fact that the number of posts notified for recruitment of Asst. Engineers by the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) were just 25 (Twenty-five). The then government and the higher-ups of the MSPDCL and MSPCL manage to keep the matters without any complaint, the matter finally came to the notice of the watchdogs after various complicacies in connection with the careers of those employees of the Power department (before the corporatization of the Power Dept. as MSPCL and MSPDCL) felt violated. One employee of the Power department had even petitioned the Manipur High Court in connection with her career.
It may be recalled that the Manipur Public Service Commission through a notification dated May 7, 2013, had invited applications from eligible candidates to appear in the Manipur Combined Competitive Examination -2013 for direct recruitment of 84 (Eighty-four) Assistant Engineers at Power/Works/ PHE/IFC departments. Among these 25 (twenty-five) were for the Power Department.
Interestingly, the appointment orders of the newly recruited AEs were done after the Electricity department was unbundled and corporatized as MSCPL and MSPDCL w.e.f. from 1/2/2014. The recruitment examination was held on March 3, 2013, and the personality test was held from December 9 to December 14, 2013.
On July 18, 2014, after corporatization of the Electricity department as MSPDCL and MSPCL, The MPSC submitted the list of candidates qualified in the Manipur Combined Engineering Service Examination -2013 to the Chief Secretary (DP).
The Deputy Secy (DP) then submitted a list of 25 qualified candidates based on the recommendation by the MPSC for the post of AE (Electrical) in the Power Department on August 8, 2014, to the Commissioner (Power).
On October 30, 2014, the MSPCL issued an appointment order for 15 candidates as AE. In the order, it is mentioned that – “the appointment of the 15 (fifteen) candidates in the MSPCL as Manager (Electrical) is made on the basis of the performance and ranking in the Manipur Combined Competitive Examination 2013”.
On the same day, i.e. on October 30, 2014, the MSPDCL also issued an appointment order for 23 (Twenty Three ) candidates as Manager (Electrical) of the corporation from among those who appeared in the Manipur Combined Competitive Examination 2013.
Now the total candidate recruited in the power department was 38 (thirty-eight) 15 in the MSPCL and 23 (Twenty Three) in the MSPDCL.
As per information from the MPSC, it has been informed that no notification has been issued for an increase of post recruited.
Replying to RTI queries the MPSC said, “No notification or alike increasing the number of post of Assistant Engineer is found in the relevant files maintained by this commission”.
Whether the recruitment of 38 AEs instead of the 25 AE post notified for recruitment by the MPSC is legitimate is decided by the Government or by the Court of law.
