MARGAO: The Margao Municipal Council is under fire for gross negligence in maintaining records of its workers. In an appalling revelation, it has been disclosed that the council has never maintained a service book of its employees, resulting in lapsing of posts and depriving dedicated staff of timely promotions.
The issue was brought to light when MMC Chairperson Damodar Shirodkar demanded an explanation from the Chief Officer about lapsed posts.
The council has been under scrutiny on numerous occasions in the past when citizens and city fathers raised their concerns about lapsed posts. However, it appears that no action was taken to rectify the situation.
Manuel Barretto, the Chief Officer, expressed shock at the absence of any record-keeping for workers’ service books or their duty rosters for several decades. He revealed that there was no system in place to maintain records and that this had severely affected the filing of posts on time.
The duty roster needs to be signed by the Chief Officer, which means that the council now has to seek assistance from previous Chief Officers, who served the Council in the past, to recreate the records. However, this is an almost impossible task, and it will take considerable time to complete. The CO stated that such an exercise cannot be done in 48 hours unless staff members are asked to work for 48 hours straight.
The citizens of Margao are upset at the administration’s failure to maintain records properly. They fear that this negligence will continue to have a detrimental effect on the filing of lapsed posts and the promotion of staff.
