Vijayawada: While group-II candidates from the 1999 batch await posting orders in the Prohibition and Excise (P&E) Department, 34 officers from the P&E Commissionerate are on unauthorised leaves of absence. One officer has been sanctioned a long leave despite there being no such provision in the Department. This state of affairs comes as a shock to higher officials in the Commissionerate and officials in the Secretariat.
One officer has been absent from duty for the past three-and-a-half years. She has reportedly been living with her family in the US. An Excise SI from Guntur district has been absent for the past five years. The whereabouts of two constables have been unknown for over five years, and one Deputy Commissioner has been enjoying the use of his official number during the period of his suspension for the past year. According to sources, he has received blessings districtly from the minister.
34 employees of the P&E Department, ranging from constables to the Deputy Commissioner, have been identified as unauthorized absentees. The Commissioner is trying to come up with ways to address the issue and take disciplinary action against them.
Four Excise SIs from Vizianagaram district – Achyuta Rao, Padmavati, Kamlapriya, and P.V.V.S.N. Murthy – have not reported to work since March 2017.
