The Water Resources Department (WRD) is mulling filling ‘laskar’ posts for the maintenance of the completed projects and also in the ongoing projects in Delta and Non-Delta systems.
The ‘laskars’ will be assigned important responsibilities in water regulation, safeguarding government properties like canal banks, structures, trees, government vacant lands and other properties.
The Water Resources Department expects that around 6,595 posts will have to be filled. The department has proposed to recruit people on outsourcing basis.
The department estimates that around Rs.119 crore will be required to fill these posts. R Satish Kumar, Engineer–in–Chief (ENC), Water Resources Department, has sent proposals to Principal Secretary Sasibhushan Kumar in this regard, as per G.O.Ms.No.29 Irrigation & Command Area Development Department for water regulation and maintenance of irrigation canals.
There are a total of 8,112 laskar posts in the department. Of them, 939 are working under work-charged establishments as regular employees and drawing their salaries through CFMS on par with regular employees. Another 578 lascars are displaced persons of the Srisailam Project engaged on an outsourcing basis in the jurisdiction of the Chief Engineer, Kurnool, and draw their remuneration through CFMS on par with regular employees. They are drawing Rs 91 crore per annum as salaries. The remaining 6,595 posts are vacant. In view of this, the department has requested government approval for engaging 6,595 lascar posts on outsourcing basis.
Further, he submitted that the work charged employees in the earlier days engaged for project maintenance were appointed temporarily and their salaries were paid from annual maintenance estimates of the respective projects.
The superintending engineers and executive engineers are the controlling authorities and more particularly there were no sanctioned posts and permanent cadre strength in the work-charged establishment, he said.
After completion of 10 years of continuous service in the particular cadre, the work-charged employees are treated as government servants and receive all the benefits, he added.
Due to legal complications of NMRs for regularization as per court cases, temporary appointments and NMR engagements were banned by the government as per Act 2 of 1994 and issued clear orders vice G.O.Ms.No.212, Finance and Planning Department.
He said in the proposals that the services of lascars were very much essential in the Water Resources Department for maintenance of the completed projects and in projects in the Delta and Non-Delta systems. They would supervise the canals daily and also perform their duties during floods and cyclones. They also coordinate farmers and the department officials at the ground level in appraising the needs and demands in water regulation, he added in his proposals.
Following the directive of the Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, ENC Satish Kumar has requested to fill up laskar posts in all 32 Irrigation Circles and Project Circles.
As of now, the department is requesting to fill 6,595 posts on a war-footing. Of these, the most 872 posts are required in the Irrigation Circle, Dowleswaram.
Besides, 702 laskar posts are required in the Irrigation Circle, Vijayawada, 694 posts in the Irrigation Circle, Eluru, 518 posts in the Irrigation Circle, Ongole, 330 posts in the TBP HLC Circle, Anantapur, and 327 posts in the BRR Vamsadhara Project Circle, Srikakulam.
