Chengannur: The municipality is all set to create history as its 17th secretary in the last five years took charge yesterday. 17 secretaries got transferred to Chengannur municipality in the last five years whereas there were 17 secretaries in the two decades from 2000 to 2020. Besides, multiple superintendents in major posts, municipal engineer, revenue inspector and clean city manager of the health department also kept changing during this time. 

Meanwhile, other employees too were transferred when the transfers in the local self-government institutions were unified. MD Deepa from Pinarayi panchayat in Kannur took charge as the municipal secretary yesterday. 

Many officers were transferred to other local – self government institutes within just 1 – 6 months even as the rule states that an employee should work at a local – self government body for at least three years. Most employees who got transferred to the municipality from the three-tier panchayat get transferred again to a new location by the time they start learning their responsibilities. 

Since the implementation of the government’s K – Smart facility, there will be a huge crisis when an employee gets transferred. The transfer of the employees including the officials in key posts like secretaries severely affect the daily activities at the municipality. Issuing certificates, benefits and approvals to common people often gets jeopardised due to the transfer crisis. It becomes a problem when the officers in many key posts do not have sufficient knowledge during the implementation of the municipality’s major projects including the master plan. They would be transferred to a different place by the time they learn the details of these projects. 

Meanwhile, the UDF parliamentary party leader K Shiburajan and secretary Rijo John George alleged that the constant and continuous transfer of secretaries and other key officials have created severe crisis in the municipality. They claimed that the left government is challenging the common people by deliberately creating such problems in the municipalities ruled by the UDF.