Telangana soon to become first state to appoint ward officers

The Ward Officer post is newly incorporated in the Telangana Ministerial Services with different roles and responsibilities at the ward level.

Hyderabad: With the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) issuing a Group IV notification, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department is gearing up to appoint Ward Officers across all 141 municipalities in the State.

Telangana is the first State in the country to appoint Ward Officers in municipalities. The Ward Officer post is newly incorporated in the Telangana Ministerial Services with different roles and responsibilities at the ward level. Appointment of ward officers is expected to help in better monitoring and ensuring effective implementation of Haritha Haram, sanitation, solid waste management, social security schemes and other municipal services in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

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They will also be entrusted with collection of House Tax and other taxes, fees, charges and preparation of monthly list of unassessed and under-assessed properties.

Like, Panchayat Secretaries in rural bodies, Ward Officers will be monitoring and implementing different development works in coordination with local councilors or corporators. One Ward Officer is being appointed for a ward with over 50,000 population and one officer for two wards, which have less than 50,000 population. To this effect, 2,242 Ward Officers are being appointed.

Thanking Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for according approval for filling up 9168 Group IV vacancies, MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday tweeted: “Group-4 notification issued by TSPSC. In a pioneering initiative, ward officers will be appointed by the Telangana Government across all 141 municipalities”

“This will bring in hyper local focus on civic issues and help synergise with ward councillors,” he said.
The State government had issued GO Ms No.109 in July this year and sanctioned 2,242 Ward Officer posts. Of the 2,242 posts, 380 posts were filled up through VROs in the ULBs.

Now, with the TSPSC issuing notification for filling up 9,168 Group IV vacancies, the Municipal Administration and Urban Development department is proposing to fill up the remaining 1,862 Ward Officer posts through direct recruitment.

Roles and responsibilities of Ward Officers:
– Supervise the work of Sanitary and Public Health workers
– Monitoring door to door collection and segregation of waste at source
– Ensure regular sweeping, cleaning of drains and public toilets
– Initiate measures for prevention and control of communicable diseases
– Ensuring sanitation at public and private markets, mutton & chicken stalls and slaughter houses.
– Ensure effective implementation of ban on Single Use Plastic
– Solid & Liquid Waste Management
– Harithaharam activities, Greenery development and maintenance with minimum 85 per cent survival.
– Monitoring of Street Lights, water supply,
– Pensions (Social Security Schemes), other welfare Schemes and urban poverty alleviation programmes.