City anchor: BMC overwhelmed as 17,000 apply for 400 engineers’ posts

BMC has received a whopping 17,000 applications for 400 vacant posts of engineers, and the civic administration will for the first time screen them through an online entrance test later this week. The civic administration has appointed an agency which conducts similar exams for banks.

The vacancies are for posts of sub-engineers and junior engineers in categories such as civil and mechanical, and architects for crucial civic departments like roads, solid waste management, water supply and sewerage.

"We had recruited engineers from other districts such as Latur, Marathwada, Sangli based on qualifications through walk-in interviews. It is usually easier to get higher marks in such places as compared to here, as Mumbai University has a tougher system," said Rahul Shewale, standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena corporator.

A senior official from the roads department said, "The engineers recruited last year did not match up to the civic administration's standards. These recruits were mostly from outside and did not know much about the civic and infrastructure issues in Mumbai to be able to work on the ground level."

General secretary of BMC's Engineers Union Sainath Rajadhyaksha said, "This recruitment is for crucial departments such as roads and hydraulic engineering, which need the best talent in specialised fields. During last year's recruitment drive, we selected engineers based on highest marks. Engineers from Latur and other districts who scored 90-95 per cent were selected while better applicants from Pune and Mumbai were rejected."

The online entrance exam will be followed by an interview or an oral test. Final selection will be based on the applicants' educational qualifications, including Marathi as a subject.

How okay is your GK?

Applicants will have to answer general knowledge questions like 'who wote the novel Two States', 'For which food item has the US Patent Office given a patent to a Texan company', and 'which state has the maximum population below poverty line'.

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