Massive OP to overhaul Municipal Administration

Hyderabad: Soon after enacting the new municipal Act, the state government is preparing to shift 'corrupt Babus' from the 'plum posts' of Municipal Commissioners.

The state government has begun this massive exercise of overhauling the entire Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department with a view to implement the new Act in letter and spirit.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao instructed the officials of the MAUD department to reshuffle the administration from top to bottom in tune with the new law. As a first step, the officials who were appointed Municipal Commissioners on deputation from other departments will be recalled.

Currently, nearly 50 of the 142 municipalities are run by in-charge commissioners or officials on deputation. A few of the officials have been deputed from Secretariat and rest of the commissioners were appointed from different departments in the state government.

As there were no qualified officials available, some municipalities were functioning under the authority of in-charge commissioners.

Officials said that the cases mainly sanction of works with DPR (Detailed Project Reports ) in the municipalities, misuse of funds and swindling of the tax money by the local authorities in collusion with elected bodies is said to be found in many urban local bodies being administered by the in-charge commissioners and deputed officials.

"The Vigilance and Enforcement wing has prepared a detailed report on allegations of corruption in the execution of development works and the officials role in the misuse of funds in each municipality in the last four years.

Based on the report, MAUD Secretary Arvind Kumar will take a call on the continuation of such 'corrupt officials' at the level of Municipal Commissioners.

A senior official said that the list of the existing Municipal Commissioners who are facing corruption charges is almost finalised.

As the District Collectors have been given special powers in the administration of municipalities under the new Act, officials said the Commissioners will also have to seek a clean chit from the Collectors to continue in the posts.

KCR wants to complete the process of the overhaul of the entire municipal administration before the issuance of the notification for the municipal elections.

Officials said that, if the notification issued in a week, the reshuffle of the officials will be deferred to August second week.