Municipalities employing casual workers by defying govt order will not get any assistance: Hakim

Kolkata: State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said during a question-answer session in the Assembly that the state government would not provide assistance to any municipality if they employ any casual workers defying the government order.

Hakim once again clarified the state government's stand of not allowing any municipality to induct more contractual staff, thereby creating a burden on the government. He said that many municipalities across the state have more staff strength than what is sanctioned by the government. The number of contractual workers in various municipalities is also very high.

The minister told the House that there are around 27,000 casual workers under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where the number of permanent staff stands at around 26,000. The scenario is the same in many other civic bodies in the state. In reply to a question posed by CPI-M MLA Tanmay Bhattacharya, Hakim held the previous Left Front government responsible for inducting casual workers, flouting the civic norms.

It may be mentioned that during the tenure of the previous government, a huge number of casual workers were recruited in various municipalities. "There was no transparency in the recruitment of workers in the municipalities during the Left Front regime," alleged Hakim.

During his speech, the minister also claimed that the Trinamool Congress government has brought transparency in the entire system of recruitment. He further added that the recruitments are done strictly through the Municipal Service Commission now. The lists of successful candidates are published and messages are delivered on the mobiles of the candidates.

He also told the House that around 30,000 people have been recruited so far in the state through the Municipal Service Commission. There are still around 33,270 vacant posts in various civic bodies in the state, Hakim maintained.