MARGAO: Applicants to the post of sailor, advertised by the River Navigation Department in August 2018, have raised questions on the recruitment process by the department.
The Department had advertised 23 vacancies for the post of sailor in August 2018. According to these candidates, the RND has a maritime training school in Britona. However, the Department asked Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi to conduct the written test including setting the paper. The request letter was sent on December 20, 2018.
Sources informed that the Principal of GEC had initially refused to conduct the test as the institute does not have any course related to marines, shipping or sailing. However, on January 17 this year, the college wrote a letter to RND stating that the exam can be conducted on January 24 in GEC. The department was requested to provide the syllabus for the “deck” and “engine” course. The test was later rescheduled for February 5.
When this correspondent contacted the Principal of GEC, he said that GEC had hosted an exam of the RND once earlier too. When asked whether GEC has the expertise to set the paper, he said that the coordinator will provide the information; however, the course coordinator did not receive calls.
When the question of GEC’s expertise was posed to the Captain of Ports, James Braganza, he said that the department has provided GEC the syllabus and the institute being a huge organisation, setting of the question paper was a basic thing for them.
Responding to the claims that the Goa Engineering College Principal had rejected the request, Braganza downplayed it stating that because of election code of conduct the request had gone back-and-forth between the department and the college.
