Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has put its recruitment process for 235 posts on hold and appointed a three-member committee, headed by former Maharashtra chief secretary Johny Joseph, to examine complaints and objections raised by candidates after the provisional results were announced.The committee, comprising Joseph and IIT-Bombay professors Shyamprasad Kargade and Daska Satyanarayana Murthy, will independently examine the complaints and evidence submitted by candidates. The MMRDA has given candidates 30 days to submit their representations and supporting documents.Aspirants said they sent several representations to the MMRDA and were elated that officials had set up a committee to examine the matter. A candidate suggested that it would be better to include a retired high court judge to the committee too. “Meanwhile, we feel that the scam is so big that the MMRDA will have to cancel the entire exam. We demand that the exam be transferred to MPSC and be conducted offline,” said Rishikesh Shinde.Another candidate from Kolhapur said that he was hopeful that he would be selected once the corrective steps are taken and those who “cheated” in the exam are brought to book. “There have been so many cases of fraud in multiple recruitment exams. We want the state government and the chief minister to take this up and set up a panel that will investigate the multiple computer-based exams that have taken place in the past one year,” said Vishwajeet Patil, another candidate.A total of 26,749 candidates had applied for the 235 posts in the MMRDA, of whom 20,459 appeared for the online examination conducted by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The MMRDA said the recruitment exam was conducted in accordance with Maharashtra government rules and through TCS, a government-approved agency.The authority has sought an explanation from TCS on the complaints received. No further action in the recruitment process will be taken until the committee completes its examination and submits its report.Candidates can submit complaints, objections and representations to vacancymmrda@mailmmrda.maharashtra.gov.in. The MMRDA said the committee would objectively examine all complaints received within the stipulated period. The authority said the inquiry was intended to address candidates’ concerns and ensure transparency, fairness and credibility in the recruitment process.
