THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government is planning to create an engineering wing exclusively for the Local Administration Department so that the civil works being taken up by local self-government institutions (LSGIs) are executed efficiently.

A major share of the Plan funds, powers and institutions being put at the disposal of the civic bodies has made it imperative for the Government to provide sufficient technical staff to help the latter carry out tasks delegated to them competently.

Kerala may have set a model for the other States by taking up the process of decentralisation of power in right earnest at least a decade ago, but redeployment of staff has not yet been completed.

Corporations, municipalities and panchayats are finding it difficult to complete works as well as maintenance of buildings handed over to them due to shortage of engineering staff.

A majority of the staff redeployed to the LSGIs from various departments have not taken charge . Even after receiving orders for redeployment, employees find themselves working away in their parent departments.

Compared to the southern districts, the situation is much more complex in the LSGIs of northern districts.

Shortage of technical staff has meant that inspection and assessment of even completed works are delayed.

This has often delayed the payment of bills to contractors as well as beneficiary committees, which take up the works.

The merger of the Rural Development and the Local Administration Departments has only increased the burden of the LSGIs. Implementation of various Centrally sponsored schemes like development of infrastructure, which was the responsibility of the District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs), has now been delegated to the civic bodies.

It has also become imperative for the Government to identify more staff for executing both Plan as and Centrally sponsored projects. Considering the problems thrown up by the delay in redeploying the staff, the Government has decided to complete the process within the next two months and take disciplinary action against the employees who refuse to obey orders.

As part of its initiative to create a technical wing, the department will first identify the technical posts remaining vacant in the corporations, municipalities and panchayats.

Seniority of staff in other departments, nature of projects taken up by the self-Government institutions and the technical expertise needed for completing such projects, the mode of paying salary for the redeployed staff, their lien with the parent department and such other details will be worked out soon.

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