IAS officers feel Telangana Administrative Service will end cadre shortage

Hyderabad: The TS government is grappling with shortage of IAS officers and the problem will worsen in the future if it creates new districts for better administration. This is where the Telangana Administrative Service will come in handy, says the Group-1 Officers’ Association.

The association is in the process of preparing its recommendations to be submitted to a government panel headed by senior IAS officer M.G. Gopal. On the government’s directions, a Group-1 team visited Kerala, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, which have their own administrative systems apart from IAS.
The association wants TS to have its own administrative service for smooth functioning of the government.

All existing Group-1 officers working in different departments like transport, Excise, panchayat raj, municipal administration, commercial taxes will form part of TAS. It will have three or four grades depending on seniority —junior grade (0-8 years), senior grade (8-12 years), senior selection grade (12-16 years) and super-time grade (above 16 years).

A member of the association who did not wish to be named pointed out that IAS officers were holding posts of directors or MDs of various wings like Markfed, BC Corporation, SC Corporation, warehousing, breweries, Minority Corporation etc. as extra responsibilities. Several IAS officers were even deputed as heads of departments (HoDs).

 “We want the government to use TAS officials for such posts so that IAS shortage will be not felt,” he said. The number of Group-1 officers in TS is less than 120 at present and hence the government could go for fresh recruitments once the modalities are worked out.

 “The main problem with the Group-1 system is that a lion’s share of conferred IAS officers is being taken away by the revenue department. We want a level playing field where Group-1 officials of even other departments can get IAS ranks depending on seniority.

That is why TAS is the best solution. There is shortage of Group-1 officers in the new state. If it is not done, even deputy tahsildars (Group-2 posts) can become IAS officers in the near future, but not Group-1 staff from other departments,” the association said.

With Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao being serious about creating 10 or more new districts, there will be a requirement for 20 IAS officers (10 collectors + 10 joint collectors). The association feels TAS is the need of the hour. A few states have successfully implemented the system and it is time TS adopts it, members said.

However, revenue officers are not in favour of TAS because their share in getting conferred IAS posts would be reduced with competition from Group-1 officers of other departments if it is implemented in TS.