State yet to fill nearly 50 vacant DRO posts 

According to sources in Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, “There are more than 50 vacancies of DRO posting since April last year and though the government has prepared the list of eligible candidates, the DRO panel which should have been setup by last April was not established till date. Due to the absence of DRO panel, the vacancies could not be filled.”

Sources also said that vested interests close to a state Minister had blocked the filling up of backlog vacancies of Deputy Collectors as DROs. After the intervention of National Commission of Scheduled Castes, government included the backlog vacancies in the eligible list. But due to a case in Madras High Court, there was delay in preparing promotion list, but even after the stay was vacated the DRO panel had not been formed for the second straight year.

Sources further said that due to the delay in DRO promotion close to 15 Deputy Collectors had retired without becoming DROs, even though their name featured in the list of eligible candidates.

A retired Deputy Collector, on request of anonymity, said, “I along with two more officials tried hard to get DRO panel formed and for getting promotion but it did not happen and in the meantime, I retired in April without getting the benefits of DRO posting.”

An official in the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, on request on anonymity, said, “The stay in the case was vacated just before the Lok Sabha elections and as model code of conduct was in place the panel could not be formed. Now the elections are over and so the panel will be formed soon and DROs will be appointed.”