Muralidharan Pillai
Mayabunder, Nov 3: Though the newly constituted Zilla Parishad of North and Middle Andaman appears determined to accelerate development in the region, acute shortage of staff in the Parishad may become a major impediment in execution of developmental initiatives.
According to reports, more than 50% of posts are lying vacant in the N & M ZIlla Parishad and negligible efforts have been made in the recent years to fill up the vacancies crucial for the effective functioning of the agency.
Particularly vital in nature is the vacancy of the Chief Executive Officer, usually filled by an IAS cadre official, left void after the transfer of Mr RS Mehra, a DANICS cadre officer last year and a Superintending Engineer of PRIs has been made to fill in the shoes of the CEO post. The Zilla Parishad, N & M Andaman has only 16 vacancies filled up on regular basis as against the total sanctioned strength of 33.
Similarly, only one Lower Grade Clerk has been appointed on regular basis against the sanctioned strength of 6. Similarly, two posts of HGCs are lying vacant in theParishad and the official works are being handled by two HGCs for years now. Moreover, one post of Office Superintendent is lying vacant in the Zilla Parishad adversely affecting crucial works of the Parishad.
“The Prime Minister routinely emphasizes on good governance, accountability, responsibility and transparency. But the irony is that the Zilla Parishad of North and Middle Andaman is constantly ignoring the principles of the premier of the country. A full-strength government department is essential for timely execution of public projects and because of the vacant posts in the Zilla Parishad, several developmental projects have been derailed in the recent years. Besides, day to day routine official works are also delayed due to the void.
Further, the existing staff have been over-burdened with workload and the prevailing situation is taking a toll on their mental and physical health. The Administration should immediately take a strong note of the situation and issue necessary instruction to fill up the existing vacancies at the earliest,” said an official of the North and Middle Andaman Zilla Parishad requesting anonymity.
