SHILLONG: Lack of service rules has delayed the process of appointment of full-time Block Development Officers (BDOs) in the State.
There are no permanent BDOs who are posted in all the Community & Rural Development (C&RD) blocks.
This was the reply of the C& RD Minister, Sniawbhalang Dhar to a query raised by Congress MLA Kimfa Marbaniang on BDOs and the specific rules and regulations to recruit them.
According to Marbaniang, BDOs keep on changing which lead to delay in getting benefits from schemes.
Dhar informed that out of the total number of 46 BDOs, 44 are Meghalaya Civil Services (MCS) officers besides one each officer from Horticulture and Agriculture departments.
He added that the approval of Service Rules by the Cabinet would make way for appointment of full-time BDOs.
Dhar informed that the recruitment of officers and staff in the Community and Rural Development department is done by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission and District Selection Committee.
Another Congress MLA, George Lyngdoh expressed concern over BDOs not being able to give time to the concerned blocks which always led to the problems in implementation of programmes. Moreover, the BDOs are unable to monitor different kinds of works which ultimately leads to corruption and slow pace of development, according to Lyngdoh.
