Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol on Friday said the finance department has cleared the direct recruitment of 400 engineers on a contract basis to expedite ongoing irrigation projects in the state.
Speaking to reporters here, Karjol said that his department had sent a proposal seeking permission to recruit at least 1,000 engineers against which clearance was given to hire 400. “Of these 400 posts, 300 will be assistant engineers and 100 junior engineers,” he said.
He added that the shortage of on-site engineers for several years was resulting in delays in monitoring projects on the ground.
The minister further explained that with the union government granting Rs 5,300 crore to the Upper Bhadra Project and clearances received for other important irrigation projects like Upper Krishna Project and Kalasa-Banduri, the department was in dire need of civil engineers.
"Realising the urgency, the CM after reviewing the irrigation department some time ago had directed the Finance Department to clear the proposal to recruit engineers,” Karjol said.
He said that the state government intends to complete the Upper Bhadra Project in a year's time, adding that more than 74 lakh people will directly benefit from this.