Thiruvananthapuram: Eleven months after the government created the position of the District Development Commissioner (DDC) and appointed 10 young IAS officers, the Role of DDC remained unclear, without legal support, chain command or infrastructure facilities that were well-defined.
The government has appointed 10 officers as DDC through the executive order in October last year, in the district except Kasaragod, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta, after serving as a sub-collector.
DDC is considered to represent collectors in forums or important meetings that can be attended by collectors.
It is said they will report to the main secretary through the collector, which will also become their reporting officer for the annual performance assessment report.
Orders have said that they will be equivalent to district collectors, in terms of vehicles, housing, staff and security.
“However, a few months after they began to function, he was revealed that without legal power, they did not have a role in the management of the district.
Many of them have been appointed as DDC are aware of limitations and has taken problems in the appropriate forum,” said a senior official.
Contrary to expectations, DDC posts, instead of improving the quality of governance now leads to cross-functional functionality, confusion and conflict.
Sans financial strength, effective monitoring and project review, committees and practical boards are not possible.
DDCs now demand that they are given more responsibilities of the law by recommending them in various positions including Deputy Chief Executive of the District Tourism Promotion Board, in the District Planning Office, the National Health Mission, as a CEO in the District Disaster Management Authority, a key role with system wells – Designed includes the Office of Assistant Commissioners of Development and Project Director (DRDA).
“Every district officer has a clear command chain above them and below, with certain controller authorities.
When DDC is appointed, it should have been done by giving them clear authorities, without disturbing the existing framework,” said a senior government secretary.
Most DDC was appointed as long as they were originally posted at the head office after field assignment.
Some officers feel that the current DDC conditions and status, counterproductive to the original idea to care for them as district collectors in the future.
“Young IAS officers are usually appointed as head of the Directorate and other Post at the state’s head office after they complete their sub-collectors, which will help them learn how things work and will be useful when they become a district collector to get in touch with headquarters.
Pointing it in Posts such as DDC must be done only with a clear role because the district already has collectors, President Panchayat and Planning Officers, “said the former Secretary of the KM Chandrasekhar cabinet.
In several other states, IAS officers were appointed as additional district judges before they became a collector.
However, in Kerala, the additional district of the non-IAS officer from the income department.