Difference of opinion stalls TS plans for 2-tier system

The difference of opinion among some departments and employee’s associations on the proposed conversion of zonal and multi-zonal posts into state and district cadre posts has led to an impasse.

After detailed consultations with the secretaries and heads of the department,the Suresh Chand committee proposed that of the 778 zonal and multi-zonal cadre, 553 posts could be converted to state-cadre and only 225 posts to the district cadre.

However, some associations are against this; they want all these posts to remain in the state cadre while other associations want them kept in the district cadre.

The state government had constituted the panel, headed by Special Chief Secretary Suresh Chand to submit the report on changing the present three-tier system into two-tier system so that its plan to scrap the zonal system could be implemented.

The note circulated to secretaries in the meeting chaired by Chief Secretary S.P. Singh recently on the Presidential Order said: “By and large, all associations are in agreement to a twotier system while some of the associations want Non Gazetted Officer posts to be kept at the district cadre while many other associations want them as state cadre since this offers better promotion opportunities to the junior assistants on promotion as senior assistants and to senior assistants as superintendents and equivalent categories”.

However, they were keen to safeguard the option of transfer to nearby districts or group of districts provided to them.

The committee discussed the issue with the departments that direct recruitment posts may be retained in the district cadre so that benefit of local reservation can be availed.

However, some technical departments like medical and health, animal husbandry expressed doubts about availability of qualified candidates from all 31 districts with MBBS, BDS and BVSC degree.

Some departments like culture were of the view that posts of gayak and accompanist may not be kept into the district cadre since music colleges are not available in all districts.

Since there is a special local area for Hyderabad with 14 departments, a separate meeting was held by the committee on July 5 with the secretaries and HoDs of these 14 departments under “City of Hyderabad” for obtaining their views.