PORVORIM: PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar has assured to expedite the ongoing vigilance inquiry into the alleged recruitment scam followed by registration of First Information Report (FIR). 

He was replying to a Calling Attention moved by BJP MLA Dayanand Sopte who alleged that the department has been contravening the existing rules regarding recruitment of staff. 

“The staff recruited is more than the posts advertised. How can this happen? Moreover, there are many contractual workers who are waiting regularisation but instead, new persons are recruited on permanent basis,” Sopte alleged. 

Demanding a thorough inquiry and FIR against the PWD officials concerned, the legislator also alleged that the government’s NOC to vacancies are obtained after the advertisement is published. 

“There is fear and anxiety in the minds of contractual staff appointed in PWD. They have been working for more than 5 to 15 years and have not been regularised.  Instead the government has recruited new staff in PWD on regular basis without following proper procedure in different categories of posts. What are the steps/measures the government intends to take in the matter,” stated the Calling Attention motion. 

As the discussion turned stormy with other legislators pitching in accusing irregularities, Pauskar conceded receiving a complaint soon after taking over the portfolio. He said that based on a complaint, a vigilance inquiry is already underway. However, Sopte supported by BJP’s Glen Ticlo among others demanded that an FIR be filed and that the officials responsible be suspended. 

CM Pramod Sawant  assured to correct the anomalies and resolve the issue. The legislators including Congress’s Reginaldo Lourenco, NCP’s Churchill Alemao, BJP’s Francis Silveira and Independent MLAs Prasad Gaonkar and Rohan Khaunte, also pointed out that many contractual workers have not been paid their salaries for the last couple of months. Khaunte also recalled that former CM (late)Manohar Parrikar had assured to fix the jobs of contractual staff employed for more than five years. “It has not seen the light of the day as yet,” Khaunte said.