Several top posts in Greater Chennai Corporation vacant

Chennai: Ahead of civic polls and monsoon, close to a dozen top posts designated for IAS officers, doctors, engineers are lying vacant in Ripon Buildings, the city civic headquarters.

On the field level, the situation is even worse as crucial posts like health officer, assistant health officers, sanitary officers and sanitary inspectors are also lying vacant across Greater Chennai.

According to Greater Chennai Corporation sources,  the public relation officer, zonal officer and stadium officer posts are also lying vacant. At present, the existing officers are given additional charge to cover up the vacancies and this affects corporation’s productivity.

The corporation is also short staffed to execute malaria and vector control measures and has planned to hire close to 800 casual workers ahead of monsoon and a resolution in this regard was also resolved in the last month’s corporation council, sources said.

“Top three posts including deputy commissioner (revenue and finance), deputy commissioner (education) and regional deputy commissioner (south) are lying vacant as the state transferred three IAS officers last week and further orders are expected shortly. But the actual issue is with the engineering and public health department as more than 100 executive posts related to field works are lying vacant”, said a corporation official.

The situation with health department is worse and there are more than 72 sanitary inspector posts lying vacant, said civic activist D. Mani. A medical officer is also posted as zonal officer but practically it is difficult to handle two heavy posts, he said. Adding to the problem, 113 primary health worker posts lying vacant along with four assistant health officers, he added.

Orders related to IAS officers are expected anytime and the municipal administration ministry is aware of the existing vacancies and steps are taken to address the same, an informed official said.