Bhopal: 24 collectors shifted in three months, more shifting on cards

Bhopal: As many as 24 district collectors have been shifted in past three months to set up new administrative machinery prior to the assembly elections in the state. A transfer list of field postings has not been issued, in the light of farmers’ agitation.

Chances are that some more collectors will be reshuffled in the coming time. Merely four months are left before the code of conduct for the assembly elections will come into effect. This has agitated Congress, it has decided to meet Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat on June 3 and ask him to cancel administrative reshuffling of officers and act on the issue of fake voter list. Notably before 2013 assembly elections of more than two dozen of district collectors were changed.

Surgery at divisional level

• Divisional commissioners of Indore, Jabalpur, Shahdol, Rewa and Sagar have already been reshuffled.
• There are chances of reshuffling of divisional commissioners of Bhopal and Ujjain divisions too.

First time Collectors

As many as 13 officers have been appointed as collector for the first time. These officers have to prove their performance in the coming four months. These first time collectors have been posted in the districts where BJP MLAs are more in numbers. The districts including Khargone, Burhanpur, Ujjain, Dewas, Ratlam, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Datia, Sheopur, Bhind, Shahdol, Anuppur, Damoh, Katni, Chhindwara and Dindori have been given officers who are first time collectors.

Seasoned Collectors

A senior officer maintains that the posting of new officers in the district prior to elections is aimed at removing anti-incumbency in the people by providing them freshness in administration. To ensure that administrative surgery results in creating a positive image of the administration experienced collectors have been deputed in the districts where the BJP finds tough contest.

Performance, rapport and other reasons

Collectors have also been removed for unsatisfactory performance. Some collectors don’t have good rapport with public representatives have been shifted to minimize its affect on the election outcome. Officers who have completed three years of posting in one district have also been shifted, prior to the Election Commission directing the government to do so.