PHED appoints 829 staff; RTI activist reveals anomalies

Kohima, 12 December (MTNews): A recent Right to Information (RTI) response, initiated by Odi Jamir, Longbok Lemtur, and ST Yapang Longkumer has shed light on potential irregularities in the recruitment of Operation & Maintenance (O&M) staff within the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED). The RTI reply, numbered CE/PHE/RTI/2002/239 and dated August 31, 2023, has exposed significant concerns regarding the selection process.

According to the obtained information, from November 1, 2022, to May 1, 2023, a total of 829 individuals joined the PHED Operation & Maintenance staff. The appointments were purportedly based on a letter from the Deputy Secretary to the Government of Nagaland PHED: Kohima to the Chief Engineer, Sanitation & WSSO PHED, dated October 19, 2022. Notably, this was one of the largest numbers ever selected from a single department after a police battalion’s selection, the RTI activists remarked.

However, the RTI response dated the 31st August 2023 clarified that “as per Administrative Approval No.PHE-1/ESTT/13/2022 Dated Kohima, the 19th Oct 2022, there was no directive that O&M post should be advertised rather the recruitment process to be conducted by the Departmental Screening Committee.”

The RTI activists, therefore, suggested a need to adhere to formal and proper procedures for future selections.

They also suggested that those who are in ITI taking up plumber training need to be granted opportunities and privileges “or a small percentage of employment sector positions reserved for them,” they added.