Prabhakar Kulkarni
More than one lakh posts at various levels in the Maharashtra government¿s administration are vacant with the result that various development schemes and other works are adversely affected. When the laxity in the government¿s policy regarding recruitment for the vacant posts was exposed by the Mumbai-based Marathi daily Maharashtra Times, the state government turned active and has now given orders to start the procedure to fill up vacancies in all departments immediately.
Sameer Maniyar, the correspondent of the Maharashtra Times covered the story of almost 30 percent of vacant posts at various levels and cadres in the state administration and it was highlighted on front page in the issue dated 10th February 2007 with the bold caption ¿One and quarter lakh posts are vacant in the state government ¿ This being the exposure of lethargy and callousness of both the political and administrative wings of the state government, within ten days the state government¿s general administration department under the control of the chief minister issued a special order under the ¿government resolution¿(GR) urging all ministers and their secretaries to carry out the detailed survey of vacant posts in their departments and start procedure to fill them immediately.
While this was subsequently covered by the Maharashtra Times in its editorial it also commented that the vacant posts will now be filled but the efficiency and quick response to public expectation should also be duly assessed as the people¿s experience is not so far satisfactory. Common people expecting ration cards or documents of land property do not receive immediate response from government servants.