State Commercial Taxes Department Non-Gazetted Employees Union State president Mohammad Mujahid Hussain revealed that Assistant Commercial Tax Officers (ACTOs) in the department have not been granted gazetted status for the past eight years.
In 2017, Hussain submitted a representation to the then Revenue Principal Secretary Ajay Mishra requesting gazetted status for ACTOs. Despite recommendations from the first PRC commission and the Telangana Public Service Commission Secretary, the Telangana government has not taken action on this matter since the formation of the state.
Former Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar sought clarification from the Law department regarding the possibility of granting gazetted status to ACTOs. The Law department confirmed that it is within their jurisdiction to provide ACTOs with gazetted status.
Hussain pointed out that other positions in Group Two, such as Deputy Tahsildar and Municipal Commissioner, are already enjoying gazetted status. He emphasized that ACTOs who scored well in the examination conducted by the Telangana Public Service Commission should also be granted gazetted status.
Despite numerous appeals from various political figures, including ministers and MLAs from different parties, the ACTOs have yet to receive gazetted status. Hussain expressed concern over the delay in addressing this issue.
The second PRC Commission Chairman N Sivashankar also recommended granting gazetted status to ACTOs and forwarded a file to the Revenue Principal Secretary. Hussain highlighted that Andhra Pradesh had already granted gazetted status to ACTOs three years ago through GO 216, urging Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Chief Secretary Shanta Kumari to take similar action in Telangana.
