Posts of executive officers in two taluks of Mysuru district have been laying vacant for over eight months, adversely affecting development and administration work.
The posts are in K.R. Nagar and Periyapatna taluks. An engineer of the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department has been asked to carry out works of the executive officer in Periyapatna, while the Assistant Director of the Horticulture Department is functioning as the in-charge officer in K.R. Nagar.
The taluks had been declared drought-hit this year, and works were being hampered in the absence of an executive officer. The EOs are top officials at the taluk panchayat like CEO in zilla panchayat and they have to draw and disburse money for development works under different schemes. They have to monitor all development works, besides they have to foster development plans of the gram panchayats. Every bill of the taluk panchayat should be countersigned by the EO and at least 25 meetings are held in a month, which are to be chaired by the executive officer.
Zilla panchayat chief executive officer Shivashankar told The Hindu that he had written a couple of times to the State government to appoint executive officers to the two taluks. He said development works were being hindered because of the absence of the officers. He added that he had also brought this to the notice of the Chief Minister.
