Few takers for vigilance panel jobs

Wednesday February 22 2006

HYDERABAD: Three years after the State Government had okayed a proposal of the Andhra Pradesh Vigilance Commission (APVC) on its reorganisation with new divisions, there has been no response from the government officers to join the commission.

While the commission has identified a handful of officers and requested the State Government to spare their services, their parent departments refused to relieve them on one pretext or the other.

Following a request by APVC to establish new wings to enlist the support of the public in fighting graft in 2002, the State Government cleared the proposal and issued orders sanctioning 34 additional posts with an annual expenditure of Rs 1.74 crore. While lower level posts were filled up to some extent, there are few takers for posts at the senior level.

A DPRO from the Information Department was deputed to work in the Community Relations (CR) wing but he was repatriated to his home department as the APVC was unable to meet his demands for a car and other facilities. The two posts in the CR wing are still vacant.

Peeved at the reluctance of the State Government officers to join it, the APVC even wrote a letter to the Union secretary (information & broadcasting) to lend the services of an officer from the Indian Information Service but the response has been mute.

Similarly, the APVC has sought the services of a Chief Engineer, who is known for integrity, from the irrigation department for appointment as Chief Technical Examiner but it did not materialise in view of a court case due to litigation on seniority. The commission could find an officer with much difficulty but two vacancies of senior officers in the division is still vacant.

Even the post of Chief Legal Advisor is being manned by a consultant and the APVC is also not able to identify a systems analyst to head the Preventive Vigilance Wing so far.

“There has been a considerable delay in filling up these vacancies as no one is coming forward. Now we plan to hire the services of retired officers who can work with us,” senior officials of the APVC told this website’s newspaper.

According to them, while the Community Relations department would enlist public support in the State Government’s drive to combat corruption in administration by educating the public, the Chief Legal Officer was to advise the VC on various cases referred to them and the engineers were necessary for the technical wing in view of the massive work taken for completion of the pending irrigation projects.

Peeved at the reluctance of State Government officers to join it, the Vigilance Commission seeks services of Central officers.