NT Reporter Panaji
Despite the state government stating that it has been trying to enhance the administrative efficiency and bring services closer to the people, 69 Goa civil service officers are presently holding additional charge in the state administration, impacting work efficiency, decision-taking speed and the overall quality of governance.
Twenty two such officers have been holding the additional charge of posts for over three to four years.
According to the data tabled recently in the state legislative assembly, 32 senior scale and 37 junior scale officers of Goa civil service are currently holding additional charge in addition to their own duties. The data further reveals that after the creation of the third district Kushavati, many officers from South Goa administration have been given additional charge of various posts in the new district collector
administration.
According to a senior official, assigning additional duties to civil service officers, a common practice undertaken to manage vacancies or interim periods, significantly impacts administrative efficiency, decision-taking speed and the quality of governance.
A retired officer said that though often necessary due to shortages, this practice can lead to file bottleneck, reduce the officers’ focus on core duties and hinder long-term policy implementation.
Sources in the administration said that failure of the government to take timely action to fill up several top-level posts has resulted in many senior officers being given additional charge.
Moreover, though the government has notified Kushavati district comprising Dharbandora, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona talukas, a separate administrative set-up for the new district is yet to be put in place. Once the new district administration starts functioning full-fledged, it will require full-time officers, officials said.
