Thiruvananthapuram: Close to 50 posts in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation are lying vacant since March, the month when many retired. Councillors have been complaining of health inspector vacancies at zonal offices at this crucial time when the whole city is in the grip of various kinds of fevers. Normally, in anticipation of retirement vacancies, the concerned department head or the government would constitute a departmental promotion committee (DPC), but this time it got delayed, according to LSGD Principal Secretary T K Jose.
“Normally a DPC is convened before January. The Higher DPC, which takes care of promotions of all officials at the level of Secretary and above would meet in March. The Junior DPC was not convened properly. This created a lot of problems,” he says. Junior DPC consists of officials at the Urban Affairs Directorate. Joint Director – Administration B K Balaraj says that the process of filling up vacancies is proceeding fast, and it should be complete in about two weeks. “The promotion list has been published as per eligibility, and we had given some time for people to point out omissions. Temporary postings could disturb this process,” he says.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the posting of two health supervisors, one health officer and a health inspector is nearly complete. 20 Junior Health Inspector (JHI) vacancies exist, but the PSC has not been able to present a list to the Directorate, as there is a dispute over the qualification. There are 8 JPHN vacancies as well, for which the list has not been submitted.
