CHENNAI: Will the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) recruitment process, undertaken just a day before the election model code of conduct (MCC) was imposed, come under the scanner of new office bearers of the CMDA and Housing and Urban Development department? In what could be a rarity of sorts, the CMDA conducted interviews on February 22 and 23 for 131 posts, and issued appointment orders a day before the MCC was announced on February 26.
According to official sources, officials started calling the candidates immediately after the MCC was announced. “Usually, letters would be sent to candidates. But on February 26, officials deviated from the custom and called up the selected candidates, asking them to report on Saturday, February 27, when a backdated appointment letter (dated February 25), was issued to them. Interestingly, only 80 per cent of them came on February 27. The rest reported on March 1,” official sources told Express.
Surprisingly, officials were in such a haste that the reservation quota for the posts was mismatched. This resulted in five candidates’ appointment orders getting cancelled. It is learnt that these five went to court over the issue.“Never in CMDA’s history have such appointments been made in a haste. At Aavin, the minister cancelled the recruitments to 636 posts due to irregularities. This issue should be evaluated and action taken,” said Association of Professional Town Planners (APTP) president K M Sadanand.
Sadanand, who has been pushing for reforms in CMDA, said he had been urging the previous government to fill the vacant CMDA posts. He added that CMDA needs to reevaluate its recruitment policy and required strength, which was fixed in the 1980s. The strength of CMDA is 819 posts. It’s been 40 years and the strength hasn’t been revised, he said, adding that ironically, 40 per cent of posts are still vacant.
The recruitments of assistant planner, planning assistant grades I & II were delayed in 2000-06 because of a recruitment ban initiated by the government. Thereafter, direct recruitment processes made by the CMDA through employment exchange four times during 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010 were either nullified due to several lapses, non-compliance and discrepancies, or only a few vacancies were filled-up. Even in the State Assembly, it was announced that the post would be filled. Only six qualified town planners have been recruited under direct recruitment as assistant planners in CMDA since 2000.
Sadanand said several units in the CMDA need to be reformed, and if due consideration is not given, the potential of Chennai will diminish. Promotions should happen as per hierarchy and should be done without any relaxation of norms or appointing of underqualified staff, he added.
Former Anna University professor of urban engineering KP Subramanian said filling up of the posts is the need of the hour. As the Third Masterplan is being prepared, CMDA needs to fill up the posts to function effectively, he stated.Sadanand is also of the view that town planning should be technically headed by qualified town planners, as is the case in 30 States and Union Territories.