From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Dec 10: In a major administrative exercise, the Siddaramaiah government has decided to regularise the services of as many as 1,374 assistant engineers and junior engineers by formulating special recruitment rules.
The State Cabinet chose the regularise the services of the assistant engineers and junior engineers as majoring of them belonged to the Schedule Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories and rendering services on contract terms for over a decade in three departments - Public Works, Water Resources and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
The State Cabinet decided to regularise services of these employees following instructions from the Supreme Court.
The N Dharam Singh government has decided to regularise services of engineers in 2005.
But meritorious SC/ST candidates challenged the State Government’s decision in the High Court.
The High Court quashed the State Government’s decision on the ground that there was no law to fill backlog vacancies without calling applications.
The State Government, subsequently, challenged the case in the Supreme Court and the apex court held that the State Government can regularise services by formulating special rules.
The Cabinet decision on Thursday had ended employees’ long standing ordeal on continuation of their jobs.
The State Cabinet also reviewed the prevailing drought conditions in several parts of the state and decided to release input subsidy for crop loss caused due to natural calamities, after receiving reports from district authorities.
A decision on declaring the Hanagal taluk in Haveri district as drought-hit has been deferred, sources said.
The State Cabinet has also decided to lease out about 12.70 acres of “Pyasari” land at Hodduru village in Madikeri taluk of Kodagu to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to construct a cricket stadium at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
Awarding work to establish Bharat Ratna M Visvesvaraya National Construction Academy in Chikballapur, approval for Para Medical and Allied Sciences Institute, enhancement of the grant from Rs 4.10 crore to Rs 5.10 crore for conducting All India Forests Sports Meet in Bengaluru, approval for Rs 100 crore for developing a campus for the proposed University of Agricultural and Horticultural sciences in Shivamogga and according administrative approval for the adoption of new pension scheme for employees of the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society are the other major decisions.