KMC order minus head seal

[sidmis]

KMC order minus head seal
as reported by Statesman News Service in the Statesman

KOLKATA, Aug. 12: A notice issued by the chief manager (revenue) of Kolkata Municipal Corporation asking retired employees to apply for job in the right to information (RTI) wing of the Assessment collection department has created a flutter in the civic body. Because, other than the fact that this is for the first time that such an application has been invited, senior civic officials said it is very astonishing that no mention of the municipal commissioner has been made in the notice issued by the chief manager (revenue).

The employees who have retired within one year and worked in posts not below the rank of assistant manager are eligible for the job whose duration is for six months. It is for the first time when the civic authorities are inviting applications from retired employees. The usual practice in KMC is that notice and circulars are always issued by the municipal commissioner. “ It is such an important issue and the notice should have been issued by the municipal commissioner,” a senior official said. It was learnt that the civic authorities are yet to fix up the remuneration of those who will be engaged for six months. As a financial matter is involved the notice should have come from KMC's administrative head.

The civic authorities have opened a RTI wing for the assessment and collection department. Earlier, the RTI was handled by the deputy municipal commissioner (personnel). But the state Information Commission had pulled up civic authorities as many queries related to assessment and collection department remained unanswered as the department did not give replies on time. An RTI wing has also been opened in the building department.

The Statesman

[sidmis]

KMC to recruit retired officers

as reported by Tarun Goswami, The Statesman

KOLKATA, July 30: For proper implementation of the Right to
Information Act (RTI) Kolkata Municipal Corporation will seek the help
of its retired officers.

A notice has been issued by the chief manager (revenue) in this
regard. Those candidates who are interested have been asked to submit
their resume within 15 days.

It may be recalled that KMC had already decided to set up offices to
provide information under the RTA in the building and
assessment-collection departments. The offices would be headed by the
director general (building) and chief manager (revenue). Earlier, only
the deputy municipal commissioner (personnel) used to deal with
queries under the RTA. The West Bengal Information Commission has
pulled up the KMC for not replying to the queries made by the people
within a stipulated time.

Most of the applications that the KMC received seek information
regarding building and assessment-collection departments. To make the
process easy two new offices have been opened to provide information
to the applicants. Steps have already been taken by the civic
authorities to make its employees well versed with the Right to
Information Act.
To make the RTA wing in the assessment department foolproof, the help
of ex-employees who retired recently or within a year was sought .

To make the employees well conversant with the functioning of the
department, KMC will recruit them for six months on a temporary basis.
KMC is still working on the remuneration package. A senior official in
the assessment-collection department said the regular employees are
heavily burdened with work and that makes it difficult for them to go
through the applications and provide information accordingly within
the stipulated time.

The appointed retired employees would be trained. The civic
authorities have been conducting series of workshops and seminars for
its employees to get them acquainted with the Act.
Since a lot of employees do not know the Act well, they are disclosing
information which they are not supposed to under the Act. This problem
will be ironed out once the retired officers join.

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