The Coimbatore Corporation had done no wrong in appointing 321 persons for conservancy worker posts, Commissioner Sravan Kumar Jatavath told the workers.
The appointment of the 321 persons was through a direct recruitment process, based on Government Order 549.
Here, the Government had said the minimum qualification was the ability to read and write Tamil and prescribed following the roster system (communal reservation system). This was in variance with what the contract conservancy workers demanded – regularisation of their employment.
“How can you compare the two. The Government Order-based direct recruitment process ensured a level playing field. The regularisation process, however, is restricted to contract conservancy workers and is based on their years of experience.”
Mr. Jatavath later clarified to The Hindu that the Corporation did not have the qualification or other details of the recruited candidates because it simply did not ask for those. And, asking for those either during the certification process or later during the interview would be a violation of the Government Order and open the door for allegations later.
The Corporation had simply recruited the candidates based on the replies the candidates gave during interviews and the discretion of the appointing officer. This was the case with recruitment to other posts that the Government carried out – where the interview and the marks given to the replies mattered.
If the contract conservancy workers were to demand regularisation of employment, the Corporation would support their move as it had vacancies to fill.
He also explained to the workers and their leaders that the ratio of number of applicants to the number of posts was very high and pointed out that for four posts reserved for SC women, the Corporation had received 2,200 applications and for eight posts earmarked for SC Arundathiyar, it had received over 1,600 applications.
And, in recruiting the candidates, the Corporation had clearly followed the roster system, leaving no room for allegations, he reiterated.
