578 posts to be axed in civic bodies; death-knell for typists

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Government has decided to stop recruitment to as many as 578 posts in 6 Corporations and 87 Municipalities.

The recruitment would be stopped for posts under 24 sections including office attendant, typist, driver, chain man, cleaner, and social worker.

Though the Government had announced that as many as 354 new posts would be created under accounts/waste management/health sections in the municipalities, the axing of other posts was not revealed earlier.

This decision came after considering the job study report submitted by Urban Affairs Director to readjust the present positions, thereby avoiding the additional burden while creating new positions.

The Government approved the recommendation given in the report considering these positions irrelevant.

As many as 437 positions are under the office attendant, driver, and typist sections.

Most of the remaining 141 posts were created from the times the Municipalities and Corporations carried out post creation on their own, before the formation of Municipal Common Service in 1970.

The positions would be terminated as and when the present staff working in these posts retire.

Even though the State Pay Revision Commission had earlier recommended discontinuing the position of ‘typist’, the Government had not implemented it then. The present actions in the Local Self-Government Department indicate extensive implementation of the same.

The Government is also considering the recommendation to reassign the staff working in this position with the Secretariat.