Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has cleared changes in its recruitment rules for assistant engineers to ensure smoother appointments and better promotion prospects for its own technical staff.
Officials said the changes are aimed at ensuring that experienced staff are retained and municipal engineering work is not affected due to delays in recruitment. The approved rules will now be sent to the state government for final approval.
The decision was taken at the Corporation meeting held recently, following earlier clearance by the Mayor-in-Council. Civic officials said the changes were needed to meet staffing requirements in the civil, mechanical and electrical departments and to remove practical difficulties faced by in-house engineers during promotions.
As per the revised rules, 45 per cent of assistant engineer posts will continue to be filled through direct recruitment of engineering graduates through the West Bengal Municipal Service Commission. Another 15 per cent of the posts will be set aside for degree-holding sub-assistant engineers already working in KMC, who will be selected through a departmental examination conducted by the commission.
KMC has decided that appointments under this 15 per cent in-house quota will be treated as promotions instead of fresh recruitment. Officials said this will bring these appointments in line with existing promotion practices and ensure that promoted employees receive the same pay and service benefits as others.
The remaining 40 per cent of assistant engineer posts will be filled through promotion from confirmed Sub-Assistant Engineers in the common cadre. To be eligible, employees must have completed at least ten years of continuous service and be confirmed in their posts. Promotions will be made separately for each engineering stream based on seniority.
The revised rules also make it clear that there will be no age limit for in-house degree holders appearing under the departmental quota, while the age limit for open market recruitment will remain unchanged. Educational qualifications and other eligibility conditions will also stay the same.