Lack of manpower and unavailability of funds have rendered Jharkhand Groundwater Directorate practically ineffective at a time when several parts of the state, including capital Ranchi, are reeling under acute water crisis.
Situated near Ranchi Municipal Corporation at Kutchery Chowk, the directorate, a separate wing of the water resources department, is currently running without a head as former director Sambhu Shrivastabha retired on April 30. But, the government is yet to finalise any name for the all-important post.
"No one has been given the responsibility of the directorate. The vacancy at the top is affecting routine work and policy decisions as the director is the final authority," an official at the directorate said.
Separated from Bihar Groundwater Directorate in 2008, the Jharkhand wing is expected to work for water harvesting, ground water recharging and public awareness.
However, sources claimed, the directorate, along with its three divisions namely Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Dumka, was the most neglected wing of the water resources department in terms of manpower and funds allocation.
According to executive rules, the lone post of the director and the four seats of deputy directors - one at the directorate headquarters and one each at the three divisions - must be filled up by hydrologists or geologists.
But, S.L.S. Jageshwar, who retired in 2013, was the only director who was a geologist. Even just-retired Shrivastabha, who was appointed as the director in March, was an executive engineer, who was roped in from the minor irrigation department with four additional charges.
Sources in the water resources department said there had been no recruitment of hydrologist or geologist in the past two decades.
Against the four sanctioned posts of deputy directors, one (Dumka) is vacant.
Deputy director at the directorate headquarters Rajesh Kumar has been holding the charge of Dumka division as well. He keeps shuttling between Ranchi and Dumka, which eventually hampers work. Sunil Kumar Jaiswal is the deputy director of Hazaribagh division while P. B. Giri is in charge of the Ranchi division.
Also, all the three deputy directors are civil engineers.
Further, there are 10 sanctioned posts of hydrologists, but only three are working. Again, all of them hold degrees in civil engineering.
Hydrologist Honey Lakra is holding charges of Ranchi division and the directorate.
Hydrologist Aparna Kujur is posted in Hazaribagh, but has to report to Ranchi quite often to ease out workload.
"Taking both the directorate and its three divisions, around 55 per cent of the sanctioned posts are lying vacant. In Ranchi division, there are only 20 staff as against the sanctioned strength of 44," said another official of the directorate.
Moreover, the directorate faces step-motherly treatment in terms of funds allocations also. For instance in the 2014-15 financial year, the directorate was not given a single penny.
The next financial year (2015-16), a paltry sum of around Rs 2.50 lakh was allocated to cover activities across 24 districts.
The sources in the water resource department said that three years ago, a framework for separate service and executive rules was drafted to meet special requirements of the directorate. But the draft was never finalised.
