Private sector poaching hurts MMRDA’s plans

It may be considered to be a government organisation with a corporate profile. However, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been suffering due to financial lollipops offered to its own employees by the private sector. Especially the Transport and Communication (T&C) division responsible for planning the key projects such as the metro and monorail.

In the past six months, the size of the transport and communication division has reduced by five. Urban transport planners, hired by the authority after close scrutiny, have been picked up by premier private infrastructure companies and consulting firms.

Confirming the development PRK Murthy, head of the T&C division said that though this was not a new trend, it is leaving the authority in a spot of bother. “It is not directly linked with the progress of a particular ongoing metro or monorail project.

However, when it comes to planning for the new projects, this churn definitely will hamper the progress. For now 50% posts in my department stand vacant,” said Murthy. 

As many as five planners have quit MMRDA in the recent past and have joined private companies such as Larson & Tubro, MV Asia and  CES consultants. When asked about the reasons for which these planners quit MMRDA, Murthy said that one of the major reasons is hefty pay packets. “MMRDA being a government organisation, we have our limitations while giving pay packages. However, the kind of experience and exposure that the planners and other officials get while working for the authority increases their value quite a bit. This obviously makes them more eligible than many others while getting offers from private companies,” opined Murthy. 

While top officials like Murthy do not comment about the hiring policies of agencies such as MMRDA, it normally takes about 18 months to hire professionals in fields such as the urban and transport planning. “We have to check the background of the candidates and also need professionals with some kind of experience in urban transport planning. Being a government body, the process is bound to be lengthier as compared to the private sector,” said an official involved in the hiring process.