Corporation projects hit due to staff crunch

KOCHI:The inadequate staff in various departments is affecting the functioning of the Kochi Corporation. With nearly 115 posts vacant in various departments under it, the civic body is finding it difficult to complete projects in a time bound manner. The situation is likely to become worse in the coming months as various projects are at different stages of completion. Apart from the vacant posts, the transfer of senior officials are also likely to affect the progress of various civic works. The Engineering wing of the Corporation is the worst hit as the post of the Chief engineer is lying vacant since March. According to the senior officials, atleast twenty assistant engineers are needed to implement projects in a time-bound manner. “But at present, the staff strength is not even half of the required number. The inadequate staff will adversely affect the progress and we are finding it difficult to monitor all the projects,” said a top official with Kochi Corporation. The shortage of staff is making it difficult for the officials to visit all the work sites, and this could affect the proper monitoring of civic works, he said. The transfer of the project manager of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM)  projects is another cause for worry for the civic body. “With the term of the first phase of the JNNURM projects getting expired in 2012, the transfer of  project manager will be another blow to the civic body. The new project manager will have to start from the scratch, learn the status of various projects and carry them forward. This is likely to  affect the progress of JNNURM projects,” added the official.The other departments that are hit by the staff crisis are the Health and revenue.“The post of Health Officer (HO) is yet to be filled. In other States, it is not mandatory to appoint an MBBS degree holder as the HO. But as per our Municipal Act, it is mandatory to appoint a doctor for the post and a majority of them are not ready to undertake the job,” the official added.He said that the State should look into amending the act which will help in appointing qualified environmental engineers as the Health Officers.