Hyderabad: A district collector in Telangana has landed in a row by reportedly asking his subordinate officials to assist him when he goes to practice lawn tennis every evening.
Village Revenue Officers (VROs) and Village Revenue Assistants (VRAs) in Nirmal district have been directed to ‘attend work’ at Tahsil Office Nirmal (Urban) when Collector Musharaf Ali Farooqi comes to the tennis court at the office.
An order issued by the Tahsildar, Nirmal (Urban), in this regard has gone viral on social media.
As per the order dated April 11, one VRO and three VRAs will be on duty everyday at the Tehsil office from 5.30 p.m. The officials have been asked to stay till the collector departs.
On all seven days in a week, a VRO with three VRAs attached to him will attend the ‘duties’.
Meanwhile, Farooqi tweeted on Wednesday that he picks and carries his own sports material, thus dismissing reports in a section of media that VROs and VRAs have been asked to work as ‘ball boys’.
“Yes, I play tennis and practise long-distance running… Personally trained 100+ long distance runners; Created outdoor sports infrastructure in over 300 villages/towns in Nirmal. We all pick & carry our own sports material,” tweeted the 2014 batch IAS officer.
The posts of VROs and VRAs were abolished in 2020 by the state government under the reforms introduced in the revenue system. Many of them are still waiting for appointments in different departments.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Neha Khan | 
