UP Jal Nigam job scam: 122 engineers sacked

AGRA: As many as 122 assistant engineers of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam have been terminated following the discovery of major irregularities in the recruitment exercise through which they were hired.

An internal inquiry conducted on the orders of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court found that the recruitment process, which began in November 2016 and culminated in January with the issue of appointment letters, was completed within one and a half months and in complete violation of norms.

UP Jal Nigam chairman G Pattanaik said, “During the inquiry , it surfaced that major irregularities took place in the appointment of assistant engineers.Guidelines of the state government were not followed. Now, the entire recruitment process stands invalid. Those responsible for lapses... will have to face consequences. The matter is sub-judice.“ The nigam has, however, decided not to recover the expenses on salary and other facilities provided to the engineers in question.

The high court had ordered the probe following complaints of several irregularities in the recruitment process earlier this year. A two-member inquiry panel discovered several irregularities -some of the successful candidates were given identical marks in the exam, with all their right and wrong entries similar as well, and a few receiving marks even on wrong answers.

The UP Jal Nigam had, in November 2016, issued an advertisement for the appointment of 122 assistant engineers in “civil, mechanical, electrical, electronics and communication and computer science“.

The probe discovered that the jal nigam had no posts of assistant engineers in computer science, electrical, electronics and communication, and that the entire recruitment process took place without the state government's permission and was void abinitio (from the beginning).