The government has failed to prepare a fit list for appointing deputy commissioners though the selection process has begun almost seven months ago for posting to the key position in the field administration.
The selection process to finalise the fit list for the appointment of new DCs for different districts has stalled for alleged pressures from key political parties ahead of the next national polls expected to be held in February.
There are also allegations of reluctance among a section of officials to get the once-most-cherished post to avoid duties during the upcoming elections, according to officials of the Ministry of Public Administration.
The latest fit list to appoint DCs was prepared on September 8, 2024, comprising 106 administration cadre officials from the 24th, 25th, and 27th batches of the Bangladesh Civil Service.
Of them, 64 were appointed with 42 kept on a waiting list. But the waiting-list candidates are now reportedly considered unsuitable for the role ahead of the next election.
Despite an initial plan to conclude interviews with officials from the 25th, 27th and 28th batches to make fit list by January 30 but the process has been on hold for about seven months.
Contacted, public administration ministry senior secretary Mokhlesur Rahman said, 鈥楾he preparation of the DC fit list is an ongoing process and it鈥檚 not correct to say that it has taken too long.鈥�
He also said that there was no pressure in the process of selecting the DCs.
Mokhlesur also noted that preference was being given to officials based on field-administration experience, annual confidential reports for the past five years, expertise in magistracy and land management, and experience in challenging tasks in field.
The government started the fresh selection process, headed by the cabinet secretary, on January 11 this year, with conducting interviews to identify eligible candidates for finalising the fit list.
A decision has been made in principle by the ministry to withdraw 21 DCs who were promoted to the rank of joint secretary in March this year.
As the DC position is equivalent to the deputy secretary rank, these promoted officers are expected to be replaced after completion of the fit list.
The districts, where the DCs have been promoted, are Dhaka, Habiganj, Mymensingh, Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Jhenaidah, Panchagarh, Magura, Satkhira, Jhalakathi, Noakhali, Chandpur, Pirojpur, Chuadanga, Manikganj,聽 Gopalganj, Chapainawabganj, Bogura, Madaripur, Gaibandha, Kishoreganj, and Joypurhat. All the DCs in these districts were from the 24th BCS cadre.
Besides, no replacement has been posted in Shariatpur after the district鈥檚 DC was made an officer on special duty due to a controversy over a women-related issue.
The government is also trying to appoint 鈥榪ualified鈥� officers to these key field administrative positions as the next national election is approaching, said ministry officials.
Officers from the 24th, 25th, and 27th batches are currently working as DC in different districts.
Officers from the 25th BCS batch joined the service on August 21, 2006 during the BNP-lead alliance government while the 27th batch officers joined on November 30, 2008 during the army-backed caretaker government.
The 28th batch officers entered the service on December 1, 2010 during the Awami League regime and they are also qualified to be DC and interviews of 40 officers from the batch were also taken on June 21.
Meanwhile, officers from the 29th batch have also become eligible to be included in the DC fit list.
According to the posting policy of 2022 for employees under the public administration ministry, a fit list will be prepared for DC appointments one year after the promotion to the rank of deputy secretary from BCS administration cadre officers.
Officers from the 29th batch were promoted to deputy secretary on November 11, 2023.
However, it was discussed during a meeting of the Public Administration Affairs Committee on May 20 that officers from the 28th batch were recruited during the AL regime, so it would not be appropriate to assign them as DCs during the election.
Several advisers in the meeting suggested that it might be better to appoint qualified officers from the 25th and 27th batches as DCs for the next polls.
An official of the ministry, however, said that the main reason for the delay in DC appointments was political lobbying and pressure from various political quarters.
The ministry is now struggling to attain a balance between the demands of especially three influential political parties as the parties want appointment of their loyal offices as DC, according to the official.
Even after finalising 17 officers from the 25th and 27th batches for DC posts, the ministry has not been able to issue the official notification recently, the official said.
However, there is also an allegation that some officials of the administration cadre are reluctant to take the DC assignment to avoid the upcoming election-related duties.
They believe that a change in the government would lead to mass reassignments, forced retirement, or placement as OSDs, which would negatively affect their career prospects and promotions.
Once a highly desired position, even sought with a heavy lobbying, nearly half of the officers have skipped interviews for DC posts after being called.
Of the 25th batch 115 officers invited for the DC interview, only 61 attended while 75 appeared against the 154 27th batch officers invited for the interview.
Traditionally, the DC post is considered one of the most prestigious and powerful positions in the field administration. Apart from electoral responsibilities, DCs serve as the central authority for almost all government functions at the district level, including the law and order.
Officers often engaged in intense lobbying to secure the DC position, but now they are showing reluctance to serve in the post.
About the reluctance, several officers who were recently called for interviews said that a number of former DCs now faced accountability actions, including probe by the ACC on graft charges, due to serving in the position during the past three controversial elections.
Many now felt that, they also said, the current political and administrative environment was not suitable for DC duties. They cited pressure from local political leaders, interference in the guise of 鈥榗oordinators,鈥� and even mob violence, which made it hard to work independently.
Currently, 26 DCs from the 24th batch, 25 from the 25th batch and 12 from the 27th batch are working as DC in different districts.
