Editor,
The edition of your paper dated 22.05.2020 carried a letter captioned “Arbitrary transfers & promotions in MeECL” by Philip Marwein. As the MeECL is a Corporation owned by the
Government and therefore exists to serve the public interest, it would be proper to place the following facts before the public;
- All cases of transfers and promotions are carried out as per requirements and in accordance with the procedures laid down for the same. The writer is not an employee of the Corporation and may therefore not have access to the facts thereof, not even to substantiate that these exercises were carried out “hurriedly”. Matters of transfers and promotions are routine procedures carried out by all Government departments, not just the MeECL and the allegations in the letter, by inference, would be applicable to them too.
- In the words of the writer, the orders “pertain to promotion and transfer of officers which has caused consternation and discontentment among the rank and file of engineers.”This particular category of employees – “engineers” – is not the only category for which transfers and promotions have been effected. The MeECL’s workforce consists of categories other than engineers, who are all governed by the same rules and who have abided by them.
- In so far as the appointment of “the consultant” is concerned, it may be stated that the decision to appoint Consultant(s) is made whenever the expertise of the Consultant (s) can add value for the efficient execution of specific projects/goals. The Board of Directors of the MeECL has taken such decisions from time to time in the past with the above objective and not arbitrarily. Many such Consultants appointed in previous years are still rendering service to it, till date.
- As for the contention of the writer that, “the days are not far off when the Corporation will collapse under its own weight, “for the reasons he has painstakingly listed out, it is our endeavour to work hard and protect the interests of the Corporation and the State as a whole. Since the Corporation came under the new Management (in the last five months), efforts have been made by it to effectively and optimally utilize the existing hierarchical structure of the Corporation and bring about the corporate work culture which, according to the writer, is absent. The “heavy outstanding loans” continue to be a constant inherited burden on the Corporation and there are many contributory factors to the “poor resources (revenue),” which the present management is addressing, as seen from the recent reports in the print and electronic media. All decisions and action taken by the present management in this regard, are effected with the knowledge and approval of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
5.The Corporation is the only Power Utility in the State and we take our duties and responsibilities seriously. Therefore, revitalising and revamping of the system is being undertaken for the betterment of the Corporation. It is also our request that rather than putting out statements based on “allegations” (in his own words) and leveling charges of ineffectiveness and incompetence, he and other genuinely concerned citizens may kindly send their suggestions and inputs, to help us serve the public and the State better.
Yours etc.,
Public Relations Officer,
MeECL.
Why these harsh measures?
Editor,
The Chief Minister and his cabinet had gone ahead in putting on hold the salary of all government employees. However, when the suggestion came from Mr. Charles Pyngrope MLA from the Congress to also allow 50 percent deduction of salary of all MLAs this idea wasn’t accepted by the ruling party MLAs.
If deferment of salaries was done without taking the employees into confidence and without proper planning then why the hiccups when it comes to allowing the deduction of salaries of MLAs? To top it all, comes a hike in MLA Scheme from Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore per annum. So where is this money coming from if not from the deferment of salaries of employees? Mismanagement in governance without real understanding of issues will have a enervating effect on the state’s economy as Government employees lose their purchasing power.
Yours etc..
Dominic S. Wankhar
Shillong