The Times of India                   07.03.2013

Vacancies plague civic body administration

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) conducted a major drive to recruit personnel in its engineering and technical staff, but a plethora of positions is lying vacant in the non-engineering cadres. Around 350 positions are vacant in the civic body as compared to the sanctioned strength.

The vacancies have accumulated over a period of time as recruitments were not conducted as and when personnel retired or left service. The largest number of vacancies exists in the clerical staff.

According to figures, 160 vacancies exist at the level of senior clerks and 142 at the level of junior clerks. Also, there are around 40 vacancies on other posts. These include those of the personal assistant to the municipal commissioner, an election officer, tourist officer, assistant municipal secretaries, a deputy assessor and tax collector, stores superintendent, materials officer, administrative officer (gas) and others.

VMC officials said that while the vacancies did exist, the civic body's preliminary focus remained on ensuring that its services are not affected. "Key posts like those of ward officers, assistant municipal commissioner and engineering staff are filled up regularly to ensure that basic amenities are provided without hiccups to citizens," an official said.

Sources also admitted that many posts that were lying vacant did not need a full-time person and other officials had been given the responsibility. They added that these were largely people with whom citizens did not have to deal with directly and were more responsible for administrative work within the civic body.

VMC commissioner Ashwini Kumar said that recruitment was an ongoing process and the civic body had already begun with recruitments on senior positions. "This will continue. But the vacancies have not affected our day-to-day working in a major way," he said.