Anantapur: Over the last two-and-a-half years, nine municipal commissioners has been changed at the Anantapur Municipal Corporation with the tenth taking charge on Thursday.
Authorities appointed Surendra Babu, in-charge superintendent engineer of public health department, as the FAC commissioner. The new officer will act as the FAC (Full Additional Charge) commissioner.
AMC has been facing undue uncertainty with officials at every level apprehending the possibility of transfer. This comes as an adverse impact of the internal bickering that plagues political leadership in the region.
The elected representatives reportedly keep pressurising the officials targeting their rival groups' works. A dozen officials from various wings besides the commissioners were transferred when they were unable to put up with the uncertain situation since the last two-and-half years.
Ministers and higher authorities so far have failed to gain the confidence of civic officials. Challa Obulesu, who worked just eight months, proceeded on long leave and then got transferred to municipal administration last month after he was targeted over the outbreak of dengue fever.
With the bickering between local MLA V. Prabhakar Chowdary and MP J.C. Diwakar Reddy over municipal administration and sanitation works mounting, the commissioner is invariable made responsible for whatever lapses.
While Mr Diwakar Reddy held the municipal authorities responsible for poor sanitation measures, the other group tried to protect the commissioner. Some leaders from the MLA's group, meanwhile, targeted the commissioner over the road-over-bridge work that was being implemented by groups close of the MP.
The commissioner went on leave and got transferred. Another official who was on FAC, Soma Narayana, had recently met the municipal minister Narayana to expressed his reluctance to work.
In 2014, Nagaveni was appointed. Some months later, Jakka Srinivasulu was appointed to the post but he also went on leave and got transferred. Umameswar Rao has worked for few months. Again Nagamani was kept FAC but he also got transferred after Challa Obulesu replaced.
Recently, Somanarayana also unable to serve here was replaced with Surendra Babu. Road widening, departmental works and new programmes are reportedly a task for the civic authorities who were expressing unwillingness. CPM district secretary Ramboopal lambasted at the leaders of TD for disturbing administration. "Why can n't the chief minister act serious on his own party men?", he pointed out.
