WARANGAL: Almost everyone, at some point in their lives, has experienced the feeling of working in a job that they do not want. However, it becomes a massive issue when the job is one of a public administrator. The State government might be under the impression that it has done well by appointing special officers for gram panchayats(GP), but are they adding value to the ailing institutions by forcing people who are not even interested in the job?
In July 2018, Telangana government asked district collectors to appoint special officers to newly created gram panchayats. The State had adopted a completely new Panchayat system on August 2. In addition to the existing 8,600-gram panchayats, 4,000 new ones were added. Many of these officers are deputed from other departments and are usually clueless about the inner working of a gram panchayat and even the nature of their job. Some of them are reported to be from technical departments.
Are they up for the job?
Since special officers are supposed to enact the role of a sarpanch, they are required to be thorough with the ins and outs of the Panchayat Raj Act. And also, since it is an additional charge, they have to make time from their regular jobs. Due to all these reasons, many of them have requested senior officials to either make it an independent charge or take away the additional responsibility entirely. Most officials, including the ones who work in the Panchayat Raj department, are not aware of the extensive changes in the system. Arguably, it will take some time for officials to understand it, after which they can move on to the implementation of the various welfare schemes and programmes. However, the newly appointed special officers have been told in clear terms that they would be responsible for all administration work carried out in a GP and that action would be taken against them if they did not carry out their duties properly. District collectors have been given full powers to take action against them. No wonder, they are a scared bunch.
‘We will help you’
Vikas Raj, Panchayat Raj principal secretary recently held a training programme for the special officers where they were given a crash course on the Panchayat Raj Act and their responsibilities. He told them, “I want you to understand your role properly so that you do not face problems. We will brief you in common operating procedures.” In the end, he did assure them that they would be guided till they found their feet.
But Vikas Raj also cautioned them about being careful while handling financial matters. “If you commit mistakes, you will get into trouble.When you do not understand something. Approach your superiors whenever you have a doubt,” he cautioned.