No work at SCC office for second day
Acting mayor meets LGRD adviser in Dhaka
An uneasy calm prevailed at Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) office yesterday, a day after dismissal of 431 employees by LGRD ministry. There was no work at the office for the second day.
However, SCC authorities asked 257 of the 431 people to continue work until further instruction to maintain essential services like electricity, water supply, conservancy and health and sanitation, sources said.
But employees in other departments at the SCC office did not work yesterday. Officials could not use their official vehicles as drivers except those in conservancy section did not join duty.
A police contingent deployed at the SCC building premises on Monday remained on duty.
SCC secretary Harun Ur Rashid told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon, “We asked employees and officials in essential service departments s to continue work so that civic life is not hampered. “However, employees in other departments did not work for the second day”, he said.
Meanwhile, a 3-member team led by acting mayor Azam Khan met the LGRD advisor at his office in the capital yesterday and discussed the situation following dismissal of the employees. The two others were ward commissioners Azizul Haque Manik and Mohammad Shahjahan.
They informed the advisor that approval of the SCC organogram remained pending for years though Sylhet Pourashava was upgraded to a city corporation in 2002.
Details of the meeting could not be known immediately.
An investigation in November this year done by a committee led by the Additional Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet termed appointment of 431 staff 'unapproved and illegal'.
Though Sylhet division was formed in 1994, the divisional headquarters--the then Sylhet Pourashava--was upgraded to city corporation in 2002. With formation of city corporation and expansion of its area, it needed more manpower.
To meet the demand, SCC made some temporary appointments in posts of 4th class employees like cleaner, electrician, helper and peon on master roll (no work no payment) basis. However, one class-I and some class-II and class-III employees were also recruited.
Taking the advantage, a section of SCC officials recruited as many as 431 people on master roll during 2003-2005, many of them allegedly in exchange of money, sources said.
After promulgation of emergency, law enforcers caught the chief engineer, an executive engineer and some ward commissioners for their alleged complicity in the illegal appointments.
During quizzing, they confessed many 'unfair deals' including alleged realisation of money in appointments. They told the interrogators that a group had earned huge amounts of money from many master roll employees, promising regularisation of their services.
But nothing could be done as the local government ministry did not approve the appointments.
As the matter went to the knowledge of LGRD ministry, it moved to cancel the appointments in June. Acting mayor Azam Khan then appealed to the ministry saying all services by the city corporation will collapse if 431 employees out of 581 are sacked.
The ministry took a lenient view and kept things suspended till formation of a probe team.
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