The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Port officer at his wits’ end

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Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Port officer at his wits’ end

T. Madhusudana Rao

The officer’s tenure on contract expired on Saturday

Kakinada: Be or not to be? It is the dilemma facing port officer Diwakar, whose tenure on contract was expired by Saturday evening. The special secretary, infrastructure, investments and ports, Hyderabad, telephonically asked him to continue pending further written orders, that too after lapse of 48 hours on Monday night.

Captain Diwakar has said that though it is only an oral instruction, he has complied with in the interests of the port and passed on certain orders to the subordinates on Tuesday and will formally resume charge on Wednesday hoping that by that time the orders would be received by fax. If the orders did not come with retrospective effect, it gives rise to a serious technical problem on the 48-hour period. But the question lingers in the mind of Captain Diwakar is how long to continue on the ad hoc arrangement. Being a master mariner, he is having all the requisite qualifications to be absorbed in the post. He has applied for regularisation but the government preferred silence over the matter ever since he joined on contract a couple of years ago.

Applications invited

Interestingly, the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) has called for applications for the posts of port officers for Kakinada and Masulipatam recently and three master mariners, including Captain Diwakar, has applied and attended the written test on August 4 of whom Captain Diwakar and the other one qualified for oral interview held on August 27.

Naturally, both are to be given the orders but held up for want of clarification. Captain Diwakar is 43-year-old and being a Backwas Classes candidate and in-service candidate he should have got the clearance but on the pretext of overage, a decision is being dodged.

Similar is the other’s case also, of course of different nature, he holds master mariner certificate from UK but not India.

Knowing fully well the age of Captain Diwakar, how could the APPSC entertained his application is a million dollar question.

Captain Diwakar wants either his selection should be cleared by APPSC giving age relaxation as in-service candidate and also a BC or else straight away the government should regularise his services by a special Government Order.

He says he will wait for favourable decision from the government or else chose alternative as master mariners are having lot of better employment avenues, rather than continuing as nominal head.

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