Payyannur: Administrative functions at the Payyannur Municipality have ground to a halt with its top three executive positions - Municipal Secretary, Municipal Engineer, and Health Supervisor - now lying vacant following the transfer of the Secretary. The civic body has virtually been left leaderless.

The Municipal Engineer was transferred a month ago with instructions to report immediately to another local body. Without waiting for a successor to arrive for a formal handover of charge, the engineer departed. Taking advantage of the procedural lapse, the incoming engineer has refused to take over, citing the absence of the outgoing official to hand over the reins.

Meanwhile, the Health Supervisor’s post has remained unmanned ever since the incumbent went on a three-year leave, with the government failing to appoint a substitute. Compounding the crisis, the Secretary has now received transfer orders with instructions to be relieved immediately. A vacancy created by a recently retired Upper Division (UD) Clerk also remains unfilled.

Payyannur was upgraded to a First-Grade municipality during late K.M. Mani’s tenure as State Finance Minister. However, staff sanctions corresponding to its elevated status were never granted. Despite a decade of LDF rule at the state level, the government has not sanctioned the required staff strength for this CPI(M)-ruled civic body. While the municipality was already reeling under a severe staff crunch, the absence of officials in its top three posts has pushed local administration to the brink of paralysis.