Key vacant posts in GHMC

In every Prajavani programme of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) where citizens meet officials with their grievances at circle and zone levels, the common complaint is delay in taking action. Even as complaints keep mounting, the corporation is not filling vacant posts.

A GHMC employee who did not want to be named said that due to staff shortage, employees are overburdened. They not only have to handle their own work but also take care of additional responsibility. As a result civic works are getting delayed. For a city that is plagued with so many civic issues, posts are not being filled. For instance, Sankaraiah, additional commissioner was posted four months back but no department is allotted to him.

Senior officers on condition of anonymity say that employees are too scared to speak out against the commissioner and special officer. While Sankaraiah waits to be given a charge, the recently posted IAS officers Navin Mittal and Gaurav Uppal who joined the corporation on January 15, 2015 too are waiting.

It is not only the allocation of portfolios but officers who have been posted to other districts are also waiting to be relieved. Two deputy commissioners posted to Adilabad and Nizamabad are yet to be relieved. “Satyanarayana, deputy commissioner was posted to Nizamabad and Srinivas, OSD to the commissioner to Adilabad are yet to be relieved.”

A senior GHMC employee says if the vacant posts are not filled it would affect the routine work in most departments and certain decisions of giving additional charge to already burdened officials would have adverse consequences. For instance, Ravi Kiran who is the additional commissioner has been given additional charge as central zonal commissioner.

An official said that certain decisions are beyond ones understanding. When there are vacant posts officers are given additional responsibility. Raghu Prasad who is presently zonal commissioner East Zone is given additional charge as zonal commissioner West Zone. “How can he do justice?” quips the officer. A senior official of the corporation says that the morale of the staff is at an all-time low. People cannot deliver when there is a sense of fear and a domiciles sword hanging over one’s head.

• Two IAS officers Navin Mittal and Gaurav Uppal joined the corporation on January 15, 2015 but are yet to be given departments.
• Shankaraiah, additional commissioner was posted four months back but no department is allotted to him.
• Satyanarayana, deputy commissioner was posted to Nizamabad and OSD to the commissioner
• Ravi Kiran who is the additional commissioner has been given additional charge as central zonal commissioner
• Ahmed Babu and Pradyumna were posted to Andhra Pradesh and were relieved but the posts still remain to be filled.
• Raghu Prasad who is presently zonal commissioner East Zone has been given additional charge as zonal commissioner West Zone.