BENGALURU: Dozens of officials in posts of Deputy Director, Joint Director, Deputy Secretary and Joint Secretary in various departments deputed from the Cooperation Department may have to do a ‘ghar wapsi’ soon at minister ST Somashekhar's behest.
The minister was left perplexed in a recent meeting with department officials on learning that there were no vacancies, but also few officials to carry out works too. The minister was told that many officials had been deputed to other departments in different districts across the state on their requests. The minister has now asked that they be sent back to the parent department.
Although previously hired for the Department of Cooperation and Audit, many officials have sought transfers to other departments for various reasons, leaving the cooperation department with no vacancies, but little workforce too. Officials who have sought deputations are currently working in various departments like Minority Welfare Directorate, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, and Department of Skills Development in various districts among others.
These officials, the minister said, have been working in those deputed posts for years together. Somashekhar has now started the process of bringing them back to the parent department of cooperation. In a review meeting of officials of the cooperation department, the minister was apprised of the staff crunch. The minister immediately sought a list of officials deputed elsewhere and a parallel list of posts that require deputation within the department.
"I don’t understand how these officials were sent on deputation to other departments when our own department’s works are piling up. I have asked for them to be returned to the parent department which the Chief Minister has agreed to," said Somashekhar.