Haryana mayors, zila parishad chiefs to have say in ACRs of IAS, HCS officers

Tribune News Service

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, February 28

In a departure from the past, Haryana mayors and zila parishad presidents will have a say in writing annual confidential reports (ACRs) of IAS and HCS officers.

The reporting authorities for the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of zila parishads (ZPs) and the Commissioners of the municipal corporations (MCs) will consult the elected representatives (mayors and ZP chairpersons) for writing the ACRs of the bureaucrats. Junior IAS officers and middle-rung and senior HCS officers are usually appointed commissioners of the municipal corporations and CEOs of the ZPs.

New norms in place

• Administrative Secy to consult ZP chief, DC for ACRs of CEO
• For MC Commissioner, the reporting authority to be Admin Secy, mayor, ULB chief
• Junior IAS officers or senior HCS officers are usually appointed MC Commissioners and ZP CEOs

With the budget of the MCs and ZPs going up substantially over the past few years, these officers wield a lot of administrative and financial powers. The Administrative Secretary, Development and Panchayat Department, is the reporting authority for the ZP CEO. Now, he will write ACRs in consultation with the ZP president and the Deputy Commissioner (DC) concerned.

Similarly, for Municipal Corporation Commissioner, the Administrative Secretary, Urban Local Bodies (ULB), will be the reporting authority. He will write the ACR in consultation with the MC mayor and the Director, ULB. The ministers concerned are the reviewing authorities for ZP CEOs and MC Commissioners. The Chief Minister is the accepting authority for both the posts.

A senior functionary of the BJP-JJP government asserted that the new system of writing the ACRs would lead to accountability in the functioning of the bureaucracy at the grassroots level.

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