Town planning officer awaits posting

COIMBATORE: The secretary of commissionerate of municipal administration has pulled up the Coimbatore Corporation for failing to implement the government order (GO) on the posting of the town planning officer (TPO) that was issued six months ago.
As per the GO issued on January 27, assistant executive engineer Sasipriya, who was attached to the engineering and water supply department, was to be appointed as the town planning officer or executive engineer (planning).But, the post is still being held by assistant town planning officer Ravichandran, who was given the additional charge.
The order was to promote three assistant executive engineers, including Parvathy and Gnanavel, attached to the engineering and water supply department to executive engineers. Parvathy and Gnanavel were promoted as executive engineers in the same department, as it had only two such posts. However, Sasipriya continues to serve in the same post.
At the recent council meeting, many councillors raised their grievances against Ravichandran. The corporation's failure to take possession of reserve sites and speed up projects were the main issues.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran has sent a presentation to the government stating that he joined the department in 1990 while Sasipriya was three years his junior. He also pointed out that he always worked in the planning department, while Sasipriya held posts in the engineering and water supply department for close to 20 years.
RTI and civic activist S P Thiyagarajan said if the civic body wanted to retain Ravichandran in the post, it should have presented the issue to the government earlier and posted another engineer for the east zone. "I suspect the political pressure that is keeping the commissioner away from implementing the GO," he said.
Thiyagarajan sought an explanation regarding the matter from the secretariat and also filed an RTI to get more details about their qualification and posting. "Sasipriya was promoted from assistant engineer to assistant executive engineer nine years ago. But Ravichandran was promoted as assistant executive engineer only in 2016," he said.
In his petition, Ravichadran stated that as per the engineering and water supply service rules in the GO No. 139, the assistant executive engineer can be made executive engineer (planning).
Ravichadran also said he has served in the planning department since he began service in 1990, but he was promoted very late only because he had a diploma, while Sasipriya had completed BE civil engineering.
"I completed my engineering in 1998 and got my degree as well. There is a vacancy in the JNNURM department for an executive engineer and there is also a need for an executive engineer in the engineering department. She can be given that post, while I could be retained as the town planning officer as I have only six more years of service," Ravichadran said.