Gulbarga Palike grounded without a chief, staff
A large number of vacancies at the Gulbarga Mahanagara Palike (GMP) has brought the civic administration to a virtual halt. The local body lacks a commissioner, deputy and assistant commissioners, and over 1,000 posts of Group ‘D’ employees are yet to be filled.
The post of the Palike commissioner fell vacant with the transfer of IAS officer Manoj Jain as chief executive officer of the Raichur Zilla Panchayat. Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda during his visit to the City on September 17 had declared that all the vacancies would be filled up and had even named Prabhuling Kavalakatte, a senior KAS officer, as the new commissioner for the GMP. However, close to a month after the promise, the post continues to remain vacant.
According to sources, the officer posted as commissioner refused to report for duty and IAS officers too are said to be reluctant to work at the GMP. The posts of health officer, executive engineer, council secretary, 26 Group ‘A’ officers and 38 Group ‘B’ officers are also vacant. Several representations to the Urban Development Minister S Suresh Kumar have gone in vain.
The state of affairs further deteriorated with the outgoing commissioner handing over charge to the chief accounts officer. The latter is learnt to have expressed his inability to hold the office. The accounts officer, who belongs to Accounts Department, has nothing to do with the Palike affairs. Corporators opine that it would have been better had the responsibility been given to the deputy commissioner. The large number of vacancies at the Palike, a body vested with maintenance of the City, has cast an adverse effect on the sanitation.
Thousands of devotees have come to the City to attend the famous 15-day long Khaja Bandanawaz Urs, which has begun already. There is not a single authority at the Palike to attend calls from the public.
None other than Mayor Ashfaq Ahmed Chulbul along with JD(S) corporators staged a dharna by locking the doors of the GMP against the failure of the Government to post staff to the corporation. However, the move invited condemnation from all quarters.
