Engineers working for Ludhiana civic body get service cessation notices

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 4

Amid the Covid crisis, outsourced junior engineers and subdivisional officers working with the B&R branch of the MC have been issued notices of cessation of their services by the firm concerned.

There are around 40 contractual employees, including junior engineers and subdivisional officers, who have received these notices. We appeal to the government and the MC authorities not to terminate our services at this time of crisis. It is very difficult to find a job at present. — An engineer, Municipal Corporation

These employees, who were hired on a contractual basis by a private agency, have been providing services on behalf of the agency to the Municipal Corporation for the past few years. The agency has given one-month notice period for the cessation of contractual support services to the MC.

A notice issued to one of the employees states that its client (MC Ludhiana) has some financial constraints and has decided to go for cost cutting. “Consequently, certain categories of support staff contractually engaged through this agency are no more required by our client (MC Ludhiana) from the next month,” the notice further states.

An engineer said: “There are around 40 contractual employees, including junior engineers and subdivisional officers, who have received these notices. We appeal to the government and the MC authorities not to terminate our services at this time of crisis. It is very difficult to find a job at present.”

Another engineer said: “The outsourced employees who received notices have been working with the MC for the past three or four years. The private firm concerned has also sent me a notice. It is stated in the notice that the support services which are being provided by me on behalf of the agency fall in the category which has been decided to be discarded by the MC Ludhiana. I request the government and the MC not to terminate our services.”

It is required to mention that there is an acute shortage of regular staff in the B&R branch, horticulture wing, lights wing and other branches. To overcome this shortage, the MC has taken services of outsourced employees. The recruitment of regular employees has not taken place for a long time.

Mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu said: “We will take feedback from the senior officers about the working of the outsourced employees. The employees whose performance is good will be allowed to continue their services.”