Woman gets job after Madras High Court directive

Chennai: A 28-year-old woman, who has to look after herself and her two children after the demise of her husband in 2011, got reprieve with the Madras high court directing the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) to provide compassionate appointment to her either as junior assistant or sanitary worker immediately.Disposing of a petition from S. Parameswari, Justice D. Hariparanthaman said the petitioner shall be appointed as junior assistant as and when the vacancy arises, if she is appointed as sanitary worker.

The petitioner said her husband was appointed as sweeper in Government Primary Health Centre in Erode district. He died on June 1, 2011, while in service, within a period of three years from the date of his joining duty.She lost her husband at the young age of 28 years with two minor children aged below 10 years. She passed B.Com. She was eligible for compassionate appointment as junior assistant. Due to poverty she made a representation asking for employment including the work of a sanitary worker, which her husband did at the time of death.

The deputy director of Health Service, Dharapuram, forwarded the proposal to the director of PHPM recommending her case for compassionate appointment. However, the director of PHP M rejected the proposal. Hence, the present petition.The judge said the impugned order proceeds that since the petitioner has possessed qualification for the post of junior assistant/typist, she could not be posted as sanitary worker.

The impugned order proceeds erroneously, as if she wanted the post of sanitary worker. She cried for any post, including the post of sanitary worker.The decision of the director of PHPM based on a August 1989 G.O. to deprive the claim of the petitioner was totally misconceived. If the junior assistant’s post was vacant, the petitioner shall be appointed in the post, the judge added.