Palike throws out deputationists

So much so, that engineers from the Mysore Municipal Corporation (MMC) and the Raichur Municipal Corporation (RMC), apart from those from Mysore Minerals Corporation have ‘managed’ to get the lucrative jobs.

However, on Monday the tenure of the deputed engineers ended abruptly, with all of them being repatriated to their parent departments.

Reason: Following an intense debate at the Palike Council, the BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah issued an order asking the engineers to leave with immediate effect on the grounds that their appointments had contravened the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act of 1976.

Not surprisingly, engineers from HUDCO, Department of Municipal Authority (DMA), Karnataka State Finance Corporation (KSFC), Mysore Minerals Corporation, Irrigation Department, APMC and other lesser known bodies across the State who had made Palike their most favoured milch cow, will now be cursing their luck. 

Internal recruitments

According to the KMC Act, engineers in the BBMP can only be recruited from Public Works Department (PWD) apart from the Palike itself which can fill its posts with internal recruitments. Officials in the BBMP also cite that the reasons for their repatriation, apart from contravening the laws, were due to the fact that the 59 engineers from other departments were a heavy burden on the Palike coffers.

“The debate which raged in the Council had brought it to the notice of the authorities that the engineers on deputation were drawing double the salaries as compared to a BBMP or PWD engineer,” said the official.

A BBMP or a PWD engineer is currently drawing nearly Rs 40,000 vis-a-vis a deputed engineer from other department who extracts roughly Rs 80,000.

Parent organisations

Accordingly, the engineers including a Superintendent Engineer who were drawing salaries for the past three to four years from the BBMP have now been asked to return to their parent organisations.