Several important government offices in Shalla upazila of Sunamganj have been facing prolonged vacancies in key positions, severely affecting public services and administrative activities.
While some offices have been operating without regular officials for years, others are struggling with an acute shortage of manpower. As a result, despite the existence of government offices and infrastructure, local residents are being deprived of essential public services.
Among the important administrative positions, the post of Assistant Commissioner (Land), commonly known as AC Land, is currently vacant.
Similarly, the post of Upazila Fisheries Officer has remained vacant for a considerable period. According to local sources, the Fisheries Office has been operating without a regular officer for approximately one and a half years.
The education sector is also experiencing a prolonged manpower crisis. The post of Upazila Secondary Education Officer has reportedly remained vacant for nearly seven years.
According to concerned individuals, the absence of a regular officer has created complications in secondary education management, school inspections, administrative activities, and monitoring.
The Upazila Office of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is also suffering from a shortage of necessary personnel.
The Upazila Engineer has been managing office activities with limited manpower. As the department is responsible for the development and maintenance of rural roads, bridges, culverts, and other local infrastructure, the shortage of staff has raised concerns over the supervision and implementation of development projects.
The Department of Public Health Engineering is facing a similar situation, with no regular public health engineering officer stationed in the upazila.
Local residents allege that the shortage of necessary personnel has hampered important activities related to safe drinking water, sanitation, and other public health services, increasing public suffering.
Meanwhile, the Upazila Women’s Affairs Office has reportedly been operating without a regular officer for nearly three years.
The prolonged absence of an officer has reportedly affected various government initiatives relating to women’s development, training, social safety programmes, and other welfare activities.
The post of Upazila Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) Officer has also remained vacant for approximately six months.
Similarly, the position of Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) has reportedly remained vacant for nearly one and a half years.
As the PIO plays a crucial role in disaster management, relief distribution, and the implementation of various development projects, the prolonged vacancy has raised concerns among local residents about the effectiveness of these services.
In addition, the post of Upazila Accounts Officer has remained vacant for a long time.
According to relevant sources, the vacancy has created additional pressure in processing salaries, allowances, bills, vouchers, and other financial activities involving government officials and employees.
The situation regarding electricity services in Shalla is equally disappointing.
There is no dedicated local office of the electricity department in the upazila. Consequently, consumers have to contact offices outside the upazila to report electricity-related problems, lodge complaints, or seek solutions to technical faults.
This creates difficulties for residents in obtaining timely services.
Meanwhile, residents have also complained about various limitations in postal services.
According to service recipients, the activities of the local post office are not being carried out at the expected pace.
Banking services are also limited. A large number of residents depend on only two bank branches in the upazila for various banking transactions and financial services.
This has increased pressure on the existing branches and caused inconvenience to customers.
Local residents have questioned how people can receive satisfactory government services when important positions in multiple government departments remain vacant for years and offices continue to operate with inadequate manpower.
Shalla is a haor-dominated and relatively remote upazila where access to government services is particularly important because of geographical and transportation challenges.
However, the prolonged absence of regular officials and the continuing shortage of manpower in key government departments have prevented local residents from receiving the expected benefits of public services.
Residents have demanded the immediate appointment of regular officials and employees to all important government offices, along with adequate manpower to ensure effective service delivery.
They stressed that merely establishing government offices is not enough unless those offices are properly staffed and capable of providing services to the public.
Otherwise, government offices may continue to exist on paper while their intended benefits remain beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.
When contacted regarding the prolonged vacancies in government offices, Shalla Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Piyas Chandra Das said:
“I have informed my higher authorities about the matter. Let us see what happens. Personally, I also feel bad about the situation, as so many officer positions remain vacant.