In the past few days, crowds gathered at two different places and purposes. The first one was to handover recruitment application forms at Goa Human Resource Development Corporation (GHRD), Porvorim. The second was at the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) where vendors were jostling with each other to collect the forms to put up stalls for the Ashtami fair (Campal-Panaji promenade from 6-17 September).
The GHRD found that hundreds had applied for 370 contract posts. Seeing the surging crowd, the Corporation baulked and conveniently cancelled the recruitment programme. The applications were accepted and the candidates were informed that they would be called later for the interviews. Instead of this tamasha, the GHRD could have collected online applications and after scrutiny called only the eligible candidates for interview.
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The CCP homepage and/or a notice board at the building entrance could have mentioned that there are only 410 forms, rental has been increased from Rs 60 to Rs 250/sqm and that full payment must be made online by those allotted the stall space. Hence, only those interested and financially capable persons would have applied. After announcing the last date to submit the forms, a public draw could have been held to pick the lucky winners.
The apprehension that people buy forms at Rs 5,000 and sell for Rs 20,000 or more could have been nipped in the bud and the process would have been transparent.
At both the places, the authorities could have avoided the ensuing fiasco and people queuing up since early morning. In the past similar scenarios were witnessed at the Directorate of Health Services, Campal and at Menezes Braganza building.
Just consider the amount of human hours and resources wasted in this exercise. In this digital age, the authorities sitting in air-conditioned chambers seem to derive a sadistic pleasure by making people stand under the hot sun and rains to collect and submit forms and make payments.
