GUWAHATI, June 13 - The State Veterinary Department is running its show with almost all its top level technical official posts lying vacant since a long time. This is hampering the implementation of the Central as well as the State Government�s programmes in the veterinary sector in a smooth manner, alleged the Indian Veterinary Association.
President of the Association Dr Umesh Chandra Sarma said in a letter to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that the Prime Minister has launched the Rs 12,652-crore National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP). For this programme 100 per cent funding would be made available by the Central Government for a five-year-period till 2024. The aim of this programme is to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 and to eradicate these dreaded cattle diseases by 2030. Moreover, the National Livestock Mission is also going on all over the country.
But, the present cadre strength of the State Veterinary Department is very deplorable and this is also affecting the morale of a large section of the officers of this Department, said Sarma.
But, the post of the Director and all the five posts of Additional Director in the State Veterinary Department are lying vacant, while there are six vacancies against the ten posts of Joint Director, 46 vacancies against the 56 posts of Deputy Director or District Veterinary Officer, 40 vacancies against the 52 posts of Assistant Director, 42 vacancies against the 176 posts of Sub-divisional Veterinary Officer, 47 vacancies against the 703 posts of Veterinary or Block Veterinary Officers. Thus there are 187 vacancies in various categories of officers of the State Veterinary Department. The vacancies will go up to 359 soon, said Sarma.
Significantly, despite many Veterinary or Block Veterinary Officers completing more than 32 years in the same post, the promotion of these officers have been held up and this dented their morale, Sarma said.
He pleaded that the Chief Minister should use his good office for early filling up of all the vacant posts which could be filled up through promotion to bring in a positive change in the working atmosphere of the Department and thus to enable it surge ahead with new confidence to implement the above national schemes and other developmental schemes of the Department.
