Shillong, July 13: Qualified candidates for the post of linemen (Jaguli) on Thursday staged a sit-in protest to pressurise the power department and the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) to appoint all of them before the expiry of the validity period of the merit list.

The protest was held at a parking lot near Additional Secretariat with the support of the Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) Youth Wing.

In 2011, the MeECL had conducted a recruitment for filling up of 772 vacant Jugali (linemen) posts, but the result of the recruitment was declared after five years due to protest by the candidates.

The result of the recruitment was declared in August last year, and 772 candidates were declared qualified for the Jugali posts. The validity of the merit list is for one year and will expire on August 2.

The candidates had organised a series of agitations since last year demanding from the power department and the MeECL to speed up the process of appointing them.

Earlier the MeECL has assured the candidates that all of them would be appointed in a three phases– first, second and third.

However in the first phase, the MeECL had issued appointment letter only to 290 candidates, and no appointment letter was issued to the candidates in the second phase.

KHNAM youth wing president, Thomas Passah said that the candidates were worried that the MeECL would buy time in issuing appointment letter especially when the validity period of the merit list is expiring next month.

Meanwhile the candidates along with KHNAM are likly to file a petition before the Meghalaya high court to request the court to intervene so that all the remaining 482 qualified candidates are appointed by the MeECL or before August 2.