JORHAT, Feb 15 - Two important posts of two different government departments in the district that are directly involved in the public service and security safety of the citizens and also protection of the environment, are lying vacant for quite sometime reportedly affecting the functioning of the departments.
The post of the District Transport Officer (Jorhat) has been lying vacant since December 31, 2017 after the incumbent UP Sharma retired from service. The other important post is of the Divisional Forest Officer (Jorhat) which has been lying vacant since January 31, 2018.
According of official sources, both the posts are district level heads of two most vital departments of the government that are involved in day-to-day public service of the people and protection of the flora and fauna.
It may be mentioned here that the DTO office, Jorhat, holds the additional charge of Majuli island district as a separate branch headed by a DTO for Majuli is yet to be opened in the district � the Assembly seat of which is represented by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
According to official sources, in both the departments two junior officials on a temporary basis were running the affairs as in-charge (I-C) DTO and DFO. I-Cs officials don�t have financial powers and without government empowering them they cannot get involved in financial matters.
The sources said that in case of the DTO office here, Enforcement Inspector PB Lama was carrying on as I-C DTO, while in case of the Forest department, Assistant Conservator of Forests Golap Bonia was discharging the duty as I-C DFO.
The sources pointed out that the DTO office is one of the most important points of public service delivery (issuing driving licences by conducting tests) and issues related to public safety security (issuing fitness certificates to vehicles, carrying drives against violations of various provisions of motor-vehicle laws, granting licences to public transport vehicles etc.).
The sources said that a I-C DTO has limitations and can�t take decisions in certain situations like a full-fledged DTO. They pointed out that Jorhat was one of the biggest districts of the State and a major revenue earner for the department, which provides a huge amount to the government.
Absence of a regular appointee to the post for a long period of time could affect revenue collection by the office. The government sets a target amount to be collected in a financial year to each DTO office in the State, sources said.
Moreover, in Jorhat DTO office there was already staff shortage with one of the two Motor Vehicle Inspectors, posted in the office Sanjib Hazarika going for a long leave a few days back.
Similarly, lack of full-fledged DFO affects public service and safety of the people with two ranges of the division � both Jorhat and Mariani having severe man-elephant conflict � with a big herd of jumbos moving along the Brahmaputra causing havoc in villages on the river bank and in the saporis (sandbars) under Jorhat range, sources said.
The same problem is witnessed under Mariani range where a big herd of elephants often come out from Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary and causes depredation in villages and tea gardens in the adjoining areas.
Moreover, the Mariani range covers the sensitive Assam-Nagaland border where encroachments in the three reserve forests of Assam from across the border often leads to rise in tension in the border areas.
Rampant illegal mining in river beds and banks and felling of tress in Brahmaputra Saporis by anti-social elements was another problem, sources stated.
AJYCP Jorhat district unit president Ritul Pathak said that the government should �immediately� appoint regular officials in both the posts going by the importance of the posts.