The New Indian Express 08.04.2017
Staff shortage hits urban local bodies hard
BENGALURU:
The functioning of urban local bodies (ULBs) across the State, barring
Bengaluru, is crippled due to an acute shortage of manpower at various
levels. However, a major move to go in for computerisation of all
citizen-related services is under way.
Out of the sanctioned strength of nearly 10,000 staff in the top
management level (A grade), middle level office staff (B grade), and
clerical grade (C), only around 5,000 personnel are on the rolls
presently, says V Ponnuraj, Managing Director, Karnataka Urban
Infrastructure and Finance Development Corporation (KUIDFC).
Sufficient personnel are available only in the Group D category. While
the position in South Karnataka is comparatively better, the vacancy
rate in North Karnataka is as high as 60 per cent with certain pockets
having up to 70 per cent vacancies, he said. “This has crippled our
functioning,” Ponnuraj said.
“The recruitment process is under way with 2,000 candidates set to join
the ULBs in the next six months. An additional 1,000 jobs are set to be
outsourced. So, a year down the line, we will be in a comfortable
position,” he said.
“We are in the firefighting mode now. To manage the crucial technical
level posts, the Chief Minister has okayed the temporary recruitment of
retired officers,” the KUIFDC MD said. “Project management consultants
help out and agencies provide some kind of manpower,” he added.
While the front-end operations of citizen-related processes are
computerised, it is still paper documents that are largely supplied for
all practical purposes. “By using Enterprise Resource Planning methods,
we have embarked on the process of computerising everything, what can be
termed as Process Reengineering,” Ponnuraj said.
This will help public who want to obtain
a Katha certificate, building plan sanction or any kind of
government-related approvals.
Presently, even if documents given by the same department is required,
the individual has to furnish a physical copy. “If it can be accessed
online, it will be easier for all,” he said.
Tracking of all projects online is in the pipeline. “This will ensure
100 per cent transparency. An applicant can track on real-time basis the
movement of files from one section to another. It will also help us
identify the particular desk where any delay is taking place,” Ponnuraj
concluded.
