Palike plans staff pruning exercise

Four departments - Health, Engineering, Horticulture and Forest are set to undergo a major surgery. In the Health department, the Palike has already given the nod to scrap the post of medical officer for health (MOH). The officers will be repatriated to referral hospitals across the City.

Final nod is awaited from the Standing Committee on Health. A deputy officer for health (DOH) for each of the eight zones will replace all the 28 MOHs. An MOH draws a monthly salary of about Rs 60,000.

A proposal to do away with posts of assistant executive engineers (AEEs) at 60 sub-divisions is under consideration in the Engineering department.

With a minimum experience of 10 years in the engineering field and discharging clerical responsibilities at the Palike, an AEE draws a salary of anywhere between Rs 60,000 and Rs 75,000.

The AEE is nothing but an interlocutor between assistant/junior engineers  and executive engineers. The post is on high demand by the officers who come on deputation. Of the 60 AEEs, nearly 40 or more are on deputation from various departments, a source said.

Twelve officers from Horticulture and Forest departments will be repatriated following the merger of the two. At least eight horticulture superintendents, two each assistant and deputy conservators of forests will be relieved, the source said.