Telangana: Mega promotions, shifts on cards

Hyderabad: The State Government is gearing up for large-scale transfers, promotions and postings by the end of January. It is learned that this would cover nearly 1-lakh employees.

The Government is said to have begun the exercise in this direction. It is taking necessary measures to see that legal and administrative hurdles were cleared.

All teaching and non-teaching staff working in the state Education department, police officials from constable to Circle Inspector rank and Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration employees, Agriculture, Medical and Health department, Excise and Commercial Taxes, and Revenue department are among the officials who are likely to get promotions and postings.

A top official said that the long-pending promotions of teaching staff in the state Education wing has been given high priority in the mega drive of promotions by the Government.

There are 50,000 plus teaching staff. Promotions of nearly 20,000 were pending at different levels due to complex service rules and legal problems.

The Government is making efforts to steer clear of this hurdle by the third week of January when Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to have a meeting with the teachers' union.

The issue of pending promotions in the Police department at lower level would also be addressed on a priority basis. Before finalising vacancies in the police department which is planning to issue notification to fill 30,000 posts, all the eligible officials will get promotions ensuring the whole recruitment process will be hassle free.

State Excise and Prohibition, Commercial Taxes, Irrigation and Agriculture wings, which have been revamped recently, will also see a reshuffle. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development department was already making arrangements to promote senior officials at village, mandal and district level.

"Before the notification for the by-election to Nagarjuna Sagar Assembly constituency and the two Graduates' constituencies - Hyderabad- Rangareddy- Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda - Khammam - Warangal, the state government wants to complete the entire process of promotions and postings," said an official.

The worrying factor is the ruling TRS will face the ire of officials again if their pending demands are not addressed. In Dubbaka by-election and GHMC polls, the state officials already demonstrated their protest, a political observer said.