THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: NORKA-Roots has justified the recent decision to entrust the responsibility of overseas recruitment of nurses to freshly appointed contract staff with Congress links by stating before the Election Commission (EC) that the appointments were made before the declaration of elections. The reply sent to an EC query on the matter is silent on the controversial decision on March 31 to assign the task of overseas recruitment to the contract staff, it is reliably learnt.
According to an EC official, NORKA-Roots have given a reply justifying that the appointments were made before the declaration of the election on March 4.
“We have received NORKA-Roots’s reply. Since they maintain that the appointments were made before the declaration of elections, it would not amount to the code of conduct violation. But there seemed to be no mention of the decision to assign the responsibility of overseas nurse recruitment to the newly appointed contract staff,” a senior election department official told DC.
The EC had sought an explanation from NORKA-Roots based on recent DC report on the decision to entrust the charge of overseas recruitment of nurses to a group of freshly appointed contract staff who were having links with the ruling Congress party. A circular in this regard was issued by NORKA-Roots chief executive officer on March 31.
Nirupama Mary Thomas, who was recently appointed as the manager- recruitment, is the daughter of a former Congress leader from Pathanamthitta and Reshmi M. B., who was appointed as an assistant manager, was a former Congress councillor of Kamaleswaram ward in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
The decision raised many an eyebrow as the staff on the contract were even given permissions to liaison with foreign employers and missions abroad. Some employees of NORKA-Roots had even moved court against this.
