CM BS Yediyurappa sends vets back after controversy

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa has ordered repatriation of veterinary doctors to the Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Sciences (AHVS) department following a controversy over their appointment as executive officers at taluk panchayats.

In its Dec 21 edition, DH had reported that the AHVS department issued a notification deputing eight doctors at the taluk panchayats of Vijayapura, Raibag, Gadag, Bhadravathi, Hassan, Sakleshpur, Sindgi and Haveri. The CM had cleared these appointments.

Taluk panchayats come under the Rural Development & Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department. Senior IAS officer LK Atheeq, the RDPR principal secretary, had returned the file to the Chief Minister’s Office, refusing the veterinary doctors to assume charge.

“Immediate action to be taken...they are to be returned to their department...” Yediyurappa wrote on the file.

Officials and legislators had argued that posting veterinary doctors elsewhere would only aggravate the shortage of veterinarians in the government. In all, there are 3,317 sanctioned posts for chief veterinary officers, senior veterinary officers and veterinary officers. Of them, 1,207 posts are vacant.

BJP’s P Rajeev, the Kudachi MLA who heads the Karnataka Thanda Development Corporation, and former JD(S) minister MC Managuli who represents Sindagi had opposed the deputation of veterinary doctors to taluk panchayats.