Stalemate continues at Syihet City Corporation (SCC) office where virtually no work is done since sacking of 431 'illegal' employees including an executive engineer following an order from local government ministry on December 2.

The SCC authorities are however maintaining essential services like water supply and sanitation, power and conservancy service with a section of the sacked employees on a temporary arrangement.

Police called at the office on December 2 to stave off possible protest remained deployed yesterday.

The authorities will hold a crucial meeting today, where some decisions on the sacked employees and maintenance of civic amenities will be discussed, sources said yesterday seeking anonymity. The meeting was scheduled for Monday but was deferred.

Some sources among the sacked employees said they may go for legal step against the government decision if today’s meeting does not take any positive decision regarding their fate.

The SCC may have to issue newspaper advertisement for appointment of some private firms to maintain essential services on contract basis.

"We will have to do so in line with LGRD ministry's order for maintaining essential services from outsourcing management, SCC Chief Executive Officer Kazi Abdul Nur SCC toldThe Daily Star.

“It will be a temporary arrangement as the ministry asked for doing so only for three months”, he said.

He however said even if die corporation decides to get essential services done on contract basis, the contractors will have to engage SCC staff recruited on master roll basis because they are experienced. A contractor will not be able to do the jobs with people who have no experience, he said.

"By February next year, we may go for recruitment of new staff in line with the organogram, which is in the process of approval by the ministry of finance”, Nur said.

SCC officials on December 3 asked 257 of the sacked employees to continue work until further instruction to run essential services.

Even officers could not use their official vehicles as drivers except in conservancy section stopped work, sources said.

Executive Engineer Syed Hossain Jamal in water supply section, who is also on the list of sacked employees, said 67 employees were working in his section for long and they were experienced.

Jamal had worked in the ADB aided 9-town water supply project of the dien Syihet Pourashava in 1990s. He was appointed executive engineer in SCC water supply section in 2003.

SCC secretary Harun Ur Rashid said he asked employees and officials in essential service sections to continue work so that civic life is not affected.

On December 4, a 3-member team led by acting mayor Azam Khan met the LGRD advisor at his office in the capital and discussed the situation after sacking of the employees.

He informed the advisor that approval of SCC organogram remained pending for years though Syihet Pourashava was upgraded to a city corporation in 2002.

The advisor assured steps considering the situation but rejected the plea for continuation of essential services by 'old ones' (sacked employees) and asked for getting those done by 'outsourcing manpower', sources said.

Until the organogram is approved, there is no scope for appointing newstaff, theysaid.

The 431 employees were sacked after an official investigation in November this year by a committee termed their appointment during the past governments 'unapproved and illegal'.

The SCC made temporary appointments in posts of 4th class employees like cleaner, electrician, helper and peon on master roll (no work no payment) basis as more manpower was needed after declaration of SCC in 2002.

Taking advantage of the situation, a section of SCC officials recruited as many as 431 people on master roll during 2003-2005, many of them allegedly in exchange of money, sources claimed.

The corruption was revealed when the chief engineer, an executive engineer and some ward commissioners were arrested after promulgation of emergency for their alleged wrongdoing in the recruitment.

During quizzing, they confessed many 'unfair deals' including alleged realisation of money for appointment and in the name of regularisation of service.