Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The government is pondering over its functioning after the Indore water contamination incident. Many officers are so overburdened with their work that they are unable to do justice to their departments.
The officers, handling important departments, are generally handed the charge of only one wing so that they can pay attention to the work of only one department and do justice to it.
Now, the officers posted in the important departments are handling several other assignments, which is showing an impact on work.
On the other hand, the officers posted in small departments handle only one department.
The Home Department is considered significant, and a senior officer is posted full-time to deal with it. But now, the department is functioning under an officer who has been given the additional charge of the department.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Sheo Shekhar Shukla is dealing with the departments of tourism, culture, and home. Besides, Shukla is the managing director of the Tourism Board.
Shukla, who also handles the Religious Endowments Department, is the trusty secretary of Bharat Bhawan and director of Swaraj Bhawan. Thus, it has an impact on the home department.
The ACS, Ashok Barnwal, is looking after the forest department together with the additional charge of the agriculture production commissioner. He is holding the additional charge of the Environment Department and DG of the Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO).
Barnwal is also in the committee of senior secretaries, so he is required to participate in several meetings with the chief secretary. Thus, he is overburdened.
The Urban Development Departmentis significant. The work of Simhastha is also underway. So, the ACS, Sanjay Dubey, is looking after the Urban Development Department, together with the Science and Technology, under which functions the Information and Technology Department. Dubey has to frequently go on tours.
He also tours different places with Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to deal with investments in the IT sector, which impacts the work.
The ACS, Anupam Rajan, looks after the higher education, horticulture, public relations, and parliamentary affairs departments. As there are many court cases in the higher education department, Rajan remains busy with the work of this department.
There is a volley of pending cases in the revenue division, and despite this, the chairman of the revenue division, the ACS, Aniruddha Mukherjee, has been given the Department of Public Assets and Management.
The Food and Civil Supplies Department is directly connected to the public. The ACS, Rashmi Arun Shami, is heading the department. Together with this responsibility, she has been made resident commissioner of MP Bhawan in Delhi and special commissioner (coordination).
Principal Secretary (PS) Umakant Umrao is heading the Mining Department together with the Animal Husbandry Department. Similarly, PS, DP Ahuja, is looking after the cooperative, Ayush, and Fishermen s Welfare departments.
These departments are small, but coordinating with the ministers of these wings is not an easy task.
