Tahsildars in the State who were transferred prior to the Assembly election are likely to be transferred back within a week.
Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told The Hindu on Thursday that after having completed the post-election transfer and posting of District Collectors, Deputy Collectors, and Revenue Divisional Officers, the government was in the process of completing the transfer of tahsildars. “The transfer of tahsildars will be completed in a week,” he said.
Mr. Radhakrishnan said that most of the tahsildars would be posted back in the place where they were serving prior to the elections. “However, their personal requests would also be given due consideration,” he said.
Usually, the officials who are moved out ahead of the election are posted back in their original positions immediately after the results are out. This time around there was an unprecedented gap of one month between the elections and declaration of results. Besides, there was even more delay in transferring the officials back.
The government issued an order transferring the Deputy Collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers, and Additional District Magistrates on July 2. However, more than 100 tahsildars still await their transfer. Meanwhile, representatives of employees unions cite many mistakes in the government order on the transfer of Deputy Collectors. “While in some cases two Deputy Collectors were transferred to a single post, transfers were also made to even abolished posts,” said a union leader.
Stating that such mistakes do happen, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that the government would shortly issue an erratum order rectifying such mistakes. Asked about the filling of vacancies through promotions, the Minister said that it depended on the outcome of a court case on seniority list. “In fact, the government waited for the post-election transfers in the hope of a court decision on seniority so that promotions and transfers could be carried out simultaneously,” Mr. Radhakrishnan said.
He said that while seniority list up to the post of head clerk had been approved, the lists for posts such as tahsildar and deputy tahsildar were yet to be finalised.
According to employees union sources, around 600 posts remained to be filled through promotions.
