Vijayawada: In a major administrative reform aimed at strengthening the functioning of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across Andhra Pradesh, the state govt has decided to cap the deputation of officials from other departments to municipal administration department. The govt has also decided to allow officials only from panchayat raj, rural development, revenue, state audit and state secretariat for deputation. The officials from other departments will not be taken into any wing of municipal administration. In fact, the total officials to be taken on deputation should not be more than 10 percent of the total strength of the ULBs. The decision came following a representation of municipal commissioners association which strongly objected the spree of deputations from other departments hampering their promotion opportunities. “The government wanted to promote efficient, professional, and accountable urban governance in response to the rapidly evolving challenges in the urban sector,” said municipal administration and urban development principal secretary S Suresh Kumar. He explained that the ULBs serve as the primary interface between citizens and the government for delivering essential civic services such as sanitation, water supply, waste management, street lighting, and urban infrastructure. Over the years, due to administrative exigencies and manpower shortages, officers from other departments have been deputed to the MA&UD department to discharge the duties of municipal commissioners. However, concerns were raised about the lack of domain expertise among such deputed officers, which has impacted the quality of governance in several municipalities. Recently the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Commissioners’ Association highlighted inefficiencies arising from such deputations and urged the government to establish stringent eligibility criteria. Following the advice of municipal administration minister Dr P Narayana, DMA submitted a detailed proposal underlining the complexity of urban governance and the need for competent leadership at the ULB level. After going through the report, the govt issued detailed guidelines for deputation of officials. The government introduced a standardized mechanism to regulate and streamline deputations, ensuring that only officers with the right qualifications, experience, and aptitude are considered. Officers from select departments having basic knowledge about urban governance issues and whose scale of pay matches the grade of the respective municipal body are eligible. The eligible departments and positions including MPDOs, DLDOs, deputy CEOs and CEOs of Zilla Parishads (for varying grades of municipalities) from PR department, tahsildars and deputy collectors from revenue department will be allowed for deputation. Similarly, assistant audit officers and district audit officers from state audit department and section officers and assistant secretaries from state secretariat will be taken on board. “This reform demonstrates our commitment to delivering better civic services through professionally managed urban local bodies. The guidelines bring greater transparency, efficiency, and accountability to the deputation process,” said Suresh Kumar.
