Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 18 : Continuing the journey of transparent and merit-based recruitment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday handed over appointment letters to 43 Urban Technical Officers under the Housing and Urban Affairs Department at a programme held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati.
Of those appointed today, 16 have been recruited as Mechanical Engineers, 11 as Electrical Engineers, eight as Public Health Engineers, six as Environmental Engineers and two as Civil Engineers.
With the distribution of appointment letters to 43 candidates today, the total number of appointments made by the present State government has increased to 1,42,029.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Sarma said that there was a time when the state had an acute shortage of technical staff in urban local bodies.
"Earlier, entire urban administrations were being managed with only one or two junior-level engineers," he said.
Stating that Assam is gradually moving from a predominantly rural economy to an urban-centric state, CM Sarma said that earlier the state had only one municipal corporation, whereas now it has three. Several new areas have also been declared as urban areas.
With urbanisation, the Chief Minister said that many challenges have emerged, ranging from urban solid waste management and drainage systems to housing planning and fire safety facilities.
"As many towns in Assam are located amidst hills, challenges such as water supply and artificial flooding have also arisen," he said.
Referring to financial management in urban administration, the Chief Minister said that it has become a complex process. Earlier, when urban areas were limited, municipal bodies functioned largely on government grants.
"However, the Central Government now emphasises financial self-reliance of urban administrations. Streamlining property tax and related matters has therefore, become a major responsibility," the Chief Minister said.
Highlighting steps taken in this direction, he said that through GIS-based property mapping, digital self-assessment and transparent accounting, municipal revenue has increased by over 30 per cent. Measures such as QR code-based payments, SMS alerts and tax collection through self-help groups have brought greater transparency to municipal administration.
"A fully digital administrative system has also been established at the Directorate level. Efforts are being made to deliver citizen services through a Unified Municipal Portal. Through the UPYOG double-entry accrual accounting system, financial transparency and accountability have been ensured across all urban local bodies. In addition, the services of 664 municipal employees working in urban local bodies were provincialised a few days ago. Recently, 96 Executive Officers, 100 Financial Management Officers and 96 Urban Technical Officers (Civil) have also been appointed to bring an integrated system across all municipal bodies," he said.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that the 43 officers appointed today would further strengthen the state's urban governance system.
Stating that the administration of urban local bodies is not exactly the same as that of the State government, the Chief Minister said that as per the Constitution, urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions are considered the third tier of governance, after the Central and State Governments. The state government does not directly interfere in their administration; rather, it encourages them towards good governance and provides necessary support.
He noted that officers appointed by the State government work in urban local bodies as representatives of the government and are accountable both to the State government and to the concerned municipal bodies.
He advised the newly appointed engineers to work in a manner that municipal bodies view them as assets rather than burdens, and called upon everyone to play a positive role in implementing government plans and programmes in cooperation with urban local bodies.
Observing that people find urban local bodies closer to them than the State administration, the Chief Minister said that citizens first express their grievances before municipal bodies. Therefore, good governance in urban local bodies is extremely important.
He remarked that over the past four to five decades, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation interpreted and implemented building by-laws in a manner favourable to real estate interests, which led to the destruction of Guwahati's natural drainage system.
Urging officers to interpret building by-laws in the interest of the people, he said that in small towns or big cities alike, any wrongdoing by an officer is easily noticed by the public, just as good work is readily appreciated. Hence, everyone should strive to do good work.
He also urged officers and employees appointed through a transparent process to maintain transparency throughout their service careers. While working in urban local bodies may be challenging, he encouraged the newly appointed officers by saying that transforming cities into better and more beautiful places would bring them a sense of satisfaction.
The programme was attended, among others, by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, Mayor of Guwahati Municipal Corporation Mrigen Sarania, Mayor of Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation Saikat Patra, Chairman of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Narayan Deka, and several other distinguished persons.