Hyderabad: Several assistant commercial tax officers (ACTOs), who joined service in the commercial tax department through Group-2, aver that they have been denied gazetted officer status despite a request way back in 2017. They said the first pay revision committee, headed by C.R. Biswal, had made the recommendation.
The Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers Union (TNGOU) of the commercial taxes department cited examples of their counterparts in other departments like deputy tahsildars (revenue), motor vehicle inspector (road transport) sub-registrar (stamps and registration), who have been recognized as Group-1 officers. All these posts carry a common pay scale and have statutory powers under the respective enactments of the departments. They stated that the AP government had extended this recognition to ACTOs by issuing a GO on April 6, 2022.
The post of ACTO is the first choice of Group-2 top ranker. The officials, numbering about 650, play a critical role at the field level in registration of businesses and checking of vehicular traffic, independently.
An official said the measure did not impose any financial burden on the exchequer.
Of the two posts that were recommended by the Biswal committee for recognition as gazette rank, the one regarding industrial promotion officers (technical) from the industries department was accepted while the regarding ACTOs awaits recognition.
