The Kotagiri Citizens Welfare Association has written to the Nilgiris District Collector demanding that vacant posts in the Kotagiri Grade III Municipality be filled soon.
The association has said, in a letter to the Collector, that since the upgradation, the absence of a full-time Commissioner in Kotagiri is resulting in administrative delays. Presently, the Coonoor Municipality Commissioner holds additional charge in Kotagiri.
“Further, the staffing position of the municipality is extremely weak. Out of 31 sanctioned posts, only 10 are filled, leaving 21 posts vacant. In reality, only the Sanitary Inspector, Assistant Sanitary Inspector, Municipal Engineer and Assistant Engineer are in position, while essential posts such as Manager, Accountant, Junior Assistant, Office Assistant, Town Planning personnel, drivers, operators and field staff remain unfilled. With such a large number of vacancies, the municipality is unable to perform even basic civic and administrative functions,” they said in the letter.
Moreover, the municipal software required for property tax assessment, billing, accounting, and receipt generation has not been operationalised. We understand that activation of the software is pending due to an internal departmental or vendor-level financial requirement of approximately â‚ą2 lakh, which has not yet been processed. Owing to this, citizens are unable to pay property tax or receive valid receipts, resulting in considerable hardship. These circumstances have effectively left Kotagiri Municipality functioning only in name, without the administrative infrastructure required to deliver municipal services, the association added.
The association said that as per the Tamil Nadu District Municipalities Act, 1920, the posting of a full-time Executive Authority (Municipal Commissioner), the filling of sanctioned staff strength, and the availability of operational digital systems are mandatory for a municipality to discharge its statutory responsibilities. “In the absence of these foundational requirements, the declared municipality is unable to serve its intended purpose. The gap between the policy decision of upgradation and the present ground reality has created significant difficulties for the residents of Kotagiri,” it said, calling on the Collector to immediately intervene in the posting of a full-time commissioner in Kotagiri, filling sanctioned staff positions immediately, and ensure software activation.
Published – December 17, 2025 05:59 pm IST
