ADA posts remain vacant in 4 important panchayat unions in Ranipet dist

VELLORE: The Ranipet farmers are peeved at not being able to access the assistant director of agriculture (ADA) office in four of the seven panchayat unions in the district for various needs as the posts are vacant, sources revealed.

As the ADA was the liaison officer linking both farmers and officialdom the “posts being vacant in Arcot, Sholingur, Timiri and Nemili panchayat unions would result in agriculture schemes of the state and Centre not progressing at the anticipated pace,” said a department official on condition of anonymity.

While six posts of AO (agriculture officers) were recently filled at the district level, “the latter are new to the district and hence it will be a year before they are conversant with local farm practices and farmers,” said R Subash, Tamilaga Vivasayigal sangam youth wing state president.

As the ADA is the officer who allots various scheme related work to AOs, their absence will affect such work allocation also, he added.Officials also wonder why some agriculture department officials were shifted out of the district when ADA posts were already vacant, sources said. “Though two of the officials who were moved out went back to their native districts, the question is why the other two officials were transferred,” sources wondered.

The four vacancies have resulted in ADAs of neighbouring PU’s being placed in-charge of the vacant PUs. “But such in charge officials are loath to be proactive as such incharge work can earn them audit objections later on. “As such objections if serious can also be recorded in the official’s service records and many prefer to do just routine work which is when the Central/state schemes will be affected,” a top official noted.