Chandigarh Mayor Pushes For Recruitment Through Employment Exchange

After raising concerns about corruption in the hiring of outsourced and contractual employees within the Municipal Corporation (MC) of Chandigarh, AAP Mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor announced that steps are being taken to recruit staff through the employment exchange wing of the UT administration. Earlier this month, the issue was flagged before Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria.

"With more non-local individuals being employed in the MC due to corrupt practices, recruiting through the employment exchange will ensure adherence to rules and transparency in the hiring process. This will also promote the hiring of regular staff and curb corruption in the recruitment of outsourced and contractual workers," Dhalor said. The proposal is expected to be presented for approval at the upcoming House meeting on 26 September.

Reports have emerged that private agencies demand significant bribes, as high as ₹2 lakh, from applicants in exchange for jobs at the MC. Some outsourced employees have also claimed that they are forced to pay additional yearly fees when new contracting agencies take over.

According to the MC’s 2023-24 budget estimates, there are 2,425 regular employees, but 3,161 regular posts remain vacant. Additionally, 5,527 outsourced employees were working at the MC, compared to the 5,891 total posts.

Alarmingly, the number of outsourced workers surged to 7,172 in the 2024-2025 budget, despite no sanctioned positions for these additional hires. The figures reveal that 1,645 outsourced workers were hired this fiscal year alone. Meanwhile, the total regular posts in MC stand at 5,589, but only 2,362 are filled, leaving 3,227 vacant.

In a letter to the governor, the mayor demanded an independent inquiry into the MC's recruitment practices. "There are 7,171 outsourced employees against 3,205 sanctioned vacant posts, more than double the required number. I don't understand why MC continues to hire on an outsourced basis instead of offering regular jobs," Dhalor stated, pointing out that outsourced employee salaries cost around ₹33 to ₹35 crore monthly, while regular employees’ salaries only amount to ₹12 to ₹14 crore per month.

In May this year, a contractor and his supervisor were arrested for defrauding over 400 people in Chandigarh by promising them permanent sanitation jobs at the MC, resulting in a scam valued at over ₹4 crore.