In several cases, the candidates were already employed in private firms, but they still applied for the government job.

Coimbatore Municipal corporation posted a vacancy for 549 sanitary workers on _____. What followed was that 7000 highly qualified applicants, some of them with engineering and graduate degrees, sent in their applications. The corporation had scheduled a three-day walk-in interview and verification of certificates, where it witnessed the overwhelming turn out of 7000 candidates.

After verification, the authorities found out that nearly 70 per cent of the candidates have the minimum qualification of SSLC and most of them were engineers, post-graduates, graduates and diploma-holders, news agency PTI reported.

In several cases, the candidates were already employed in private firms, but they still applied for the government job. Many of those who applied were employed in private jobs with a meagre salary of Rs 6000 to Rs 7000, and no job security.

While some other candidates who have applied have been doing sanitary work jobs for over last 10 years, but on a contractual basis. But they still applied to get the permanent job.

On the contrary, the job posted by Coimbatore Municipal corporation is offering Rs 15,700 as initial salary, which would fetch around Rs 20000 salary later. Moreover, one will have to work for six hours daily — three in the morning, three in the evening, which would leave other time to have other jobs as well.

Right now the city corporation reportedly has 2,000 permanent and 500 contract sanitary workers in its pay roll, PTI reported.