TUMAKURU: The Centre’s Smart City project has given an opportunity to officers to prove how smart they really are. In Tumakuru which is also on the Smart City list, it will be women officers who will be tested.
Leading the show in Tumakuru will be new deputy commissioner Pallavi Akurathi who has become DC after the post remained vacant for one and a half months. Reason for the delay: The lack of consensus among Congress leaders in Tumakuru, considered a party bastion. The onus of steering the city and developing it as per Smart City norms now rests on the new DC and her immediate subordinates, who are mostly women.
There are as many as 13 women officials working under the new DC apart from woman district in-charge secretary for Tumakuru, Ms Shalini Rajneesh. They include Additional DC K.N. Anuradha, new ZP CEO Dr B.R. Mamatha, Excise deputy commissioner Samitha, In-charge RTO Omkareshwari, Assistant Commissioner Tabassum Jahere (Tumakuru division), Anita Lakshmi (Madhugiri) and Pragna Ammembala (Tiptur), DHO Shashikala, Deputy Director for Industries and Commerce Nandini, Deputy Director for Horticulture Savitha, District Backward Classes and Minorities Officer Rama and Special Land Acquisition Officer Sneha.
It is unclear if these women officials were posted to Tumakuru with a specific purpose. While the ZP CEO went to the IAS Academy last week for a 45-day-long training, Savitha is on leave for her wedding. With many projects including the National Infrastructure and Manufacturing Zone and HAL’s chopper unit at Gubbi on the cards, it remains to be seen if the government’s decision to hand over responsibility to relatively young and inexperienced women officers will bring results, observed Jaynagara Civilians Society office-bearers including corporator Delta Ravi.
Assistant Commissioner Tabassum, however said she cannot evaluate her fellow officers and added that she is confident of improving the efficiency of the administration. Nagaraju, a food department official felt that with the Sakala scheme in place, the public will not face any delay and will get services in a stipulated time regardless of the officer’s gender.
