The Local Self Government (LSG) Department will create district-level panels, which will include retired engineers, for urgently filling up vacancies of engineers in the department, LSG Minister M. B. Rajesh said on Monday.
The decision is aimed at urgently addressing an acute shortage experienced by the department, Mr. Rajesh said. Many newly-appointed engineers had moved to other government institutions including the Kerala State Electricity Board and the Kerala Water Authority within their first year of posting, Mr. Rajesh said.
In one recent instance, 93 of 128 assistant engineers who were posted in the LSG Department and specially trained at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) had moved to other departments within a year.
While the vacancies have given rise to complaints, finding a permanent solution is not easy, which has prompted the department to propose district-level panels, Mr. Rajesh said. A government-appointed expert panel which examined the issue has submitted its report, which primarily contains long-term measures.
The Minister cited the heavier workload in the LSG Department and the higher pay elsewhere as possible reasons for the outflow.
