8 posts of SDM in Doaba yet to be filled
The respective district administrations in the Doaba region have given additional charges of these posts to the available sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) or tehsildars.
Eight posts of sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) out of a total of 17 in the Doaba region comprising four districts, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, are yet to be filled.
The respective district administrations have given additional charges of these posts to the available SDMs or tehsildars. An officer from the Indian Administrative Services or the Punjab Civil Services can be appointed as a regular SDM in Punjab.
In Hoshiarpur district, there are no regular SDMs in the three sub-divisions, Tanda, Dasuya and Hoshiarpur, while two regular PCS officers posted in the Mukerian and Garhshankar sub-divisions hold an additional charge of the Tanda, Dasuya and Hoshiarpur sub-divisions, respectively. Hoshiarpur SDM Shivraj Singh was transferred to the Nawanshahr sub-division of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar nearly 10 days ago. In Jalandhar, two sub-divisions, Phillaur and Shahkot, do not have regular SDMs whereas the district administration has given additional charge of Phillaur and Shahkot to the SDMs of Nakodar and Jalandhar-II, respectively. The district has a total of five posts of SDMs. In Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, there are no regular SDMs in two, Banga and Balachaur, out of three sub-divisions. The district administration has given the charge of Banga to the assistant commissioner, grievances, (an under-trainee PCS officer) whereas the charge of Balachaur is with a tehsildar.
Deputy commissioner, SBS Nagar, Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa said, “We have given the additional charges of both sub-divisions.”
In Kapurthala district, the post of Phagwara SDM has fallen vacant after PCS officer Satwant Singh resigned from the post whereas two SDMs, Bholath and Sultanpur Lodhi, proceeded on medical leave and the district has only one SDM post in Kapurthala sub-division. It has been learnt that Satwant Singh took his resignation back but he has not joined till now. The two posts of assistant commissioners (general and grievances) are also vacant in the district.
Deputy commissioner, Kapurthala, Vishesh Sarangal said, “We have been in touch with the senior authorities on the matter and it will be resolved soon. Not only Doaba but there is only one SDM in Moga district.”
The public works have been affected in the sub-divisions of the Doaba region in the absence of regular SDMs like revenue court cases, regular complaints or public dealings.
A deputy commissioner seeking anonymity said, “Official work is suffering due to the unavailability of SDMs while we have given additional charges to other SDMs who are now overburdened due to this.”
A PCS officer who holds additional charge also shared the same view.
The deputy commissioner quoted above said almost all PCS officers were preferring postings in Chandigarh or its surrounding districts.
Punjab chief secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua said, “We have recently got nine new PCS officers and we will issue posting orders of SDMs very soon to fill the vacant posts across the state.”