Kohima, Nagaland, February 27 (HBTV): Nagaland’s Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) minister Jacob Zhimomi today said that the department has appointed 829 operations and maintenance (O&M) staff.    

Zhimomi gave the information during the ongoing fourth session of 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on February 27 in Kohima.

Replying to MLA Kuzholuzo Nienu during the ongoing budget session, the minister said the O&M staff members are generally unskilled labor and have no prescribed educational qualifications for applicants. 

To maintain fairness and transparency in the recruitment process, he said, a departmental screening committee has been constituted.  

Further, after the completion of their probation period of two years, they are subject to a suitability test.   

Zhimomi informed that these posts were not advertised as per the P&AR office’s memorandum dated October 2022. 

The PHED and Power departments are allowed to maintain work-charge and casual employees as per a ceiling limit fixed by the Work-Charged and Casual Employees’ Commission.