Port Blair, April 17: Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Member of Parliament had called upon Chief Secretary, A&N Administration recently and submitted the proposal for regularisation of service of the contractual employees of Directorate of Shipping Services engaged in Afloat Section and the Industrial establishment of Marine Dockyard.
Sharma informed the Chief Secretary that shipping being the life line for the Islanders and in order to cope up the need of operation and maintenance of its fleet of ferry boats, the Directorate of Shipping Services since the year 2014 has been recruiting qualified persons on contract basis despite the fact that their requirement being permanent in nature.
As of now there are as many as 145 afloat employees comprising of deck rating (lascar), engine room rating (greaser), cook and utility hands and 37 workshop employees comprising of welders, coppersmith, tinsmith, platers, machine turners, shipwrights, platers, carpenters, fitters, electric fitters recruited on contract basis against sanctioned vacant posts.
"The contractual employees ever-since their employment have been discharging the duties assigned to them to the satisfaction of their superiors and nothing adverse had been conveyed against them regarding performance of the duties and for this very reason the contract appointments which was initially for a period of six months for the afloat employees and three months for the workshop employees are continuously been extended ranging from past 9 years to 5 years," he explained.
The Member of Parliament emphasized that the Directorate of Shipping Services while recruiting these contractual employees have followed all procedures which are essentially required to be fulfilled while making public/government appointments on a regular basis. Such as publishing the 'Vacancy Notice' in Newspapers, inviting application from interested eligible candidates in terms educational and professional qualification, age etc. as prescribed in the Recruitment Rules for the relevant posts, conducting trade test by duly constituted selection board, preparation of merit list of the selected candidates and panel after verification of original documents pertaining to qualifications, proof of age etc. and lastly issue of appointment order indicating the vacant posts against which they are appointed.
"Serving the department for such long period has given rise to legitimate expectation of getting permanently absorbed in the post in which they are working on contract basis" said the Member of Parliament and requested the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration for regular appointment of the contractual employees of Directorate of Shipping Services, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, who have been selected through regular selection process against sanctioned posts and also for similarly circumstanced contract employees working in other departments of Andaman and Nicobar Administration by formulating an scheme for Regularisation of Services of temporary employees consisting of Casual workers on daily wage basis (both on minimum wages and enhanced 1/30th of wages of regular employee plus Dearness Allowance ), ad-hoc and contract employees.