New norms for civic chiefs’ deputation

Vijayawada: The state government on Tuesday issued a detailed government order to regulate the deputation of officers from other departments as municipal commissioners and additional commissioners.

Principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development, S Suresh Kumar, said this move is designed to ensure efficient, professional and accountable management of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), which are crucial for delivering essential civic services like sanitation, water supply, street lighting, and urban infrastructure.

Due to past manpower shortages, officers from various departments were deputed to municipal roles, often lacking domain expertise, which hampered governance quality. Responding to concerns raised by the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Commissioners’ Association (APMC) and following the directions of minister P Narayana, the commissioner and director of municipal administration submitted a proposal stressing the importance of competent leadership in ULBs. Based on this, the government has now introduced structured guidelines for deputation.

Under the new policy, only officers from select departments such as panchayat raj, revenue, state audit, and the Secretariat, who possess relevant experience, qualifications and whose pay scales match the grade of the municipal body, will be eligible.

Deputation will be allowed only under administrative exigencies and in the absence of eligible in-house candidates. Officers must have at least five years of service, completed probation in their parent department, hold a Bachelor’s degree, have cleared the APPSC Accounts Test for Local Bodies Part I & II, and must be cleared by vigilance and their parent department.

A mandatory 30-day structured training programme will be provided before officers take charge, covering urban planning, financing, service delivery, and regulatory processes. To safeguard the interests of the Municipal Administration Service, only 10 per cent of municipal commissioner posts may be filled through deputation, which will remain temporary and reversible. Deputed posts will also be included in future recruitment planning.

Suresh Kumar explained that this reform reflects a paradigm shift in municipal governance, ensuring only trained, eligible officers lead urban bodies.

Minister Narayana added that this policy brings transparency and professionalism into deputation process. New rules will be implemented immediately.