PWD scraps order on recruitment of 870 engineers

Dashing the dreams of thousands of engineers who wrote the competitive exam for the recruitment of 870 engineers in the Public Works Department, the state government has cancelled the recruitment notification and called for re-examination for 925 posts.

In March 2019, the Public Works Department (PWD) department had issued a notification for the recruitment of 570 assistant engineers and 300 junior engineers. The Karnataka Examination Authority held an examination for the same between June 22 and 24.

However, as the Congress-JD(S) government lost trust vote a month later, the change in political leadership affected the recruitment process. Soon after assuming power, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa-led government had stayed the exercise.

Senior officials in the PWD said about 20,000 candidates had appeared for the exam. “Till two months ago, we were receiving calls from candidates everyday seeking to know the status of the exam. After a statement from the minister that the recruitment has been stayed, the calls became frantic,” an official said.

In the latest development, the state government has scrapped the entire process during the end of November. The government order, made available on Sunday, has also done away with the special rules formed by a committee for the recruitment process.

The government has instructed the PWD to send a proposal for recruitment of 925 posts, comprising 600 assistant engineer (Grade 1) and 325 junior engineers.

Sources close to PWD Minister Govind M Karjol said that the previous notification was scrapped as the coalition government had not specified the reservation for Hyderabad Karnataka under Article 371 (J). However, sources in the department said the cancellation was the direct result of allegations of irregularities.