Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 6 May: In yet another incident involving illegal appointments in government departments, reports have recently emerged regarding illegal appointments made in the public health engineering & water supply (PHE&WS) department of Changlang and Longding districts.
The All Arunachal Pradesh Public Health Engineering & Water Supply Department Workers Union (AAPPHE & WSDWU) made the revelation in a written complaint to the Itanagar Special Investigation Cell superintendent of police on Monday.
Armed with RTI documents, the union claimed that 17 illegal appointments to the post of regularised work-charged (WC) employees were made recently in the PHE&WS department of Changlang and Longding districts, and sought early investigation into the case, in order to bring those involved in the illegality to book.
Shockingly, all 17 persons were appointed to several WC posts on a regular basis in Changlang and Longding districts, and were then transferred to Yachuli, Pasighat, Sagalee, Naharlagun, Itanagar and Yupia divisions in March this year alone.
The union alleged involvement of top level officers of the PHE&WS department of the two districts, and claimed that the department’s authorities in the two districts do not even have the appointment orders issued to the 17 persons.
“None of the illegal appointees are locals of the two districts or has ever worked in the PHED&WS department before. They are all fresh appointments. How can the department appoint fresh candidates without issuing any formal official order when there are hundreds of casual workers in the state who have been serving in the department for 20 and even 30 years? They have been awaiting regularisation of their jobs for decades and are still pleading with the state government to take up their genuine issue. This is gross injustice to all of them,” the union stated.
AAPPHE&WSDWU president Tadar Dawa informed The Arunachal Times that the number of illegal appointees is more than 17 “as further details from the RTI are awaited.”
“Initial details of the RTI showed 17 illegal appointees. However, new information reveals that there are more such appointees, including 30 in Itanagar – which is the maximum in the state – five in Yupia, four in Sagalee in Papum Pare district, and four in Keyi Panyor district. Details of such appointees in Ziro have also emerged; we can give more details later on, when we receive the rest of the details of the RTI,” Dawa added.
The alleged illegally appointed WC employees are Joram Rini (fitter), Agam Dai (carpenter), Piya Yowa (WI-R), Techi Nakab (fitter), Licha Nega (plumber), Yura Taluk (mason), Joram Amko Likha (mason), Chuku Tagur (WI-R), Nabam Yabang (Electrician-R), Joram Yapa (Fitter-R), Likha Abo (Assistant Fitter-R), Nabam Lucy (Mason-R), Joram Naina (Fitter-R), Joram Taram (Driver-R), Tana Rinya (WI-R), Tok Pumin (WI-R), and Tai Simi (Mason-R).
The AAPPHE & WSDWU has also written to the chief secretary, seeking his early intervention in the issue.
In its representation to the CS, the union demanded immediate cancellation of the alleged illegal appointment and posting orders, and served a week’s ultimatum to the state government, failing which, it said, it would resort to “democratic action in the form of statewide 24 hours water supply halt.”
