COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Municipal Corporation Ministerial Staff Association has urged the secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department to revert the appointments of all deputy collectors serving as assistant commissioners in municipal corporations, arguing that they were illegally appointed. The association wants these officials to be sent back to their parent department, the Revenue and Disaster Management Department.
According to R Subramanian, founder-president of the association, the municipal administration should instead be promoting eligible ministerial staff to the post of Assistant Commissioner Grade-1. He called for the removal of difficulties in Rule 397 of the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules, 2023, by relaxing the relevant rules to facilitate these promotions. Subramanian also urged the promotion of other corporation ministerial staff to fill the consequential vacancies.
This petition follows a G.O issued on August 19, which appointed three more deputy collectors to assistant commissioner posts. K Mahalakshmi, former RDO of Kovilpatti, was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Thachanallur Zone in the Tirunelveli corporation, P Manimaran, a Special Deputy Collector from Thanjavur, was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the East Zone in the Madurai corporation and V Jayanthi, Personal Assistant to the Madurai District Collector (Election), was appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Ariyamangalam Zone in the Trichy corporation.
Subramanian stated that the secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department is making a repeated mistake despite repeated reminders. He pointed out that there is no provision in the existing Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules, 2023, to appoint any deputy collector under the Tamil Nadu Civil Service to the post of assistant commissioner in municipal corporations.
