Regional commissioners in Karnataka to be a thing of the past soon

A Cabinet sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister R Ashoka that is figuring out ways to rationalize expenditure has decided to abolish the four regional commissioners in the state.

Karnataka has an IAS officer as the regional commissioner for each of the four revenue divisions - Bengaluru, Mysuru, Kalaburagi and Belagavi. That the regional commissioners should be abolished was a recommendation made by the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-II in July this year.

The sub-committee noted that the regional commissioners or divisional commissioners had little work to do.

“They carry out election work and guide deputy commissioners. However, deputy commissioners get guidance from ministers and secretaries appointed for each district,” the sub-committee members felt, according to a note DH has accessed. Officers currently serving as regional commissioners will be given some other assignments.

Further, the sub-committee asked the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-II and the revenue department to see how the workload of deputy commissioners can be reduced.

The sub-committee has also decided to do away with 378 posts of junior assistants in the secretariat because of the implementation of the e-office system for the movement of files.

Apparently, a total of 542 posts of junior assistant now have little work to do and only 164 of them will be retained.

Not just that. The sub-committee has directed the forest department to merge the posts of social forestry officer (SFO) with range forest officer (RFO).

In another merger, the Karnataka government insurance department will be clubbed with the treasury department.

The sub-committee decided to bring all pensions under the revenue department.

Presently, the government provides pensions to the elderly, widows, the disabled, freedom fighters and so on.

On Thursday, the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms asked all departments to submit within a week a report showing compliance with the sub-committee’s decisions.

BMRDA-BDA merger?

The R Ashoka-led committee discussed the option of merging the BDA and other local planning authorities into the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA).

The panel also wondered if the BDA-BMRDA merger should be done within the BBMP limits, outside of which local planning authorities can function.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: