The post of Officers on Special Duty (OSD) – a lucrative post-retirement employment opportunity for several senior municipal officers could soon be a thing of the past.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to abolish the post to save the tax-payers money. The BMC plans to utilise the money for developmental projects.
The civic body is in the process of reviewing the working of the OSDs to find out which of the posts can be scrapped.
There are more than 15 OSDs working in various BMC departments. The idea behind reappointing retired officers as consulting officers was to use their knowledge and experience.
The cash-strapped municipal corporation spends around Rs 1 lakh per month on each OSD, including his/her salary, vehicle, office premises and supporting staff, clerks and peons.
Senior civic officials said this is the right time to abolish the post since most appointments did not seem to be benefiting the civic body.
Swadhin Kshatriya, BMC commissioner confirmed that all OSD posts were being reviewed. “We will review the work done by each OSD.
Those who are not performing well will be removed shortly.” A civic official on the condition of anonymity said, “There are many OSDs who are occupying these posts and doing very little work.
But there are a few, who are contributing substantially with their knowledge and skills.
Many OSDs interfere with the work of other officers. In fact, some of them work like agents for civic contractors, builders.”
Airing a similar view, a senior engineer from the BMC said that some OSDs often try to influence decisions made by the seniors. “Most of us have worked as their subordinates so it becomes difficult to convince them.
They still hold a lot of influence. It is difficult to work under such situation. Even after a promotion, I do not feel like the head of the department,” the official said.
However, when contacted, a majority of the OSDs opined that it was entirely upon the BMC to hire them or not. “The BMC should utilise our knowledge and expertise properly.
The BMC does not have adequate experienced staff to handle complicated issues. We are specialised in our department, the reason why BMC want us. We are ready to quit anytime,” said an OSD, requesting anonymity.