Five posts, one officer

■ Key posts all in the hands of one officer

■ Animal Husbandry Additional Director given charge of four more departments

■ Additional workload keeps him away from departmental reviews

■ Pending files pile up in various departments

■ Staff struggle to know which office to approach

■ Employees urge government to appoint full-time officers

metro india news  I hyderabad : It is a case of too much on the plate. In several government departments in Telangana, the absence of full-time officers is leading to delays in decision-making and implementation of schemes apart from promotions, service matters, disposal of administrative files and day-to-day decisions of institutions.

Employees in the departments have expressed surprise over entrusting a single officer with the responsibilities of several key sectors, including Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Sheep and Goat Development and Livestock Development. One officer is currently handling the responsibilities of as many as five key departments and institutions.

Subbarayudu, who is currently serving as Additional Director of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department, is also functioning as CEO of the Telangana Livestock Development Agency (TGLDA), Managing Director (FAC) of the Telangana Sheep and Goat Development Cooperative Federation, Registrar of the Veterinary Council, and in-charge Managing Director of Indira Dairy, Madhira.

There are allegations that promotions, service-related matters, disposal of administrative files and institutional decisions are not moving at the required pace. According to government statistics, Telangana has 1,270 graduate veterinary doctors, 2,091 para-veterinary staff and 3,969 hospital attendants. The State has a network of 2,160 veterinary institutions. Given the scale of this system, officials say the administrative burden increases when the Additional Director also has to discharge responsibilities in several other institutions.

The officer has to coordinate departmental decisions, institutional administration and employees’ service matters simultaneously.

No departmental reviews for months?

Employees have also alleged that the officer is not readily available. Some said that when they visit one office for work, the officer is attending a meeting related to another institution, leaving little time for those waiting for file clearances or signatures.“People are unclear about whom to approach for a particular problem and at which office the officer will be available. We have to make repeated visits for the same work,” several employees said.

Officials are also expected to conduct reviews at least once a month covering staff performance at the lower levels, pending issues, funds and development activities. However, there are allegations that the officer holding the additional charge has not been conducting such reviews regularly.

Employees further alleged that administration in the departments has become disorganised, creating a situation where staff are unclear about what is happening in different departments. They also claimed that service-related matters and administrative files are accumulating.

Decisions are required on financial approvals, staff matters, institutional administration, procurement, implementation of schemes and official orders. Several employees said delays occur because a single officer has to carefully examine files relating to five different responsibilities.

Though Animal Husbandry, Livestock Development and Sheep and Goat Development are interrelated sectors, they have separate administrative responsibilities. Employees have urged the government to appoint full-time officers to the key posts to ensure smoother administration and faster decision-making.