Guntur Municipal Corporation faces acute manpower shortage with nearly 60% posts vacant

The Guntur Municipal Corporation building. | Photo Credit: T. Vijaya Kumar The Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) is grappling with a severe manpower shortage that could affect the delivery of essential civic services, with nearly 60% of its sanctioned posts lying vacant just as the civic body gears up for urban local body elections.According to the GMC’s cadre strength, the civic body has only 45 personnel against a sanctioned strength of 110, leaving 65 vacancies across various administrative and field wings.The shortage is particularly acute in technical and public health wings directly connected with civic services. Thirteen of the 18 sanctioned Assistant Engineer posts and seven of the nine Town Planning Supervisor posts are vacant. All 13 posts of Town Planning and Building Overseers are also vacant.The Sanitary Inspector cadre has only eight personnel against 24 sanctioned posts. All five Medical Officer posts and all three Sanitary Supervisor posts are vacant.The vacancies are likely to put additional pressure on the existing workforce involved in the maintenance of roads and drains, sanitation, drinking-water infrastructure, building regulation and town planning. Field inspections, grievance redressal, execution of civic works and their monitoring could be affected when operational-level posts remain unfilled.The manpower shortage assumes greater significance with the State government preparing to conduct elections in 100 urban local bodies. GMC personnel will have to take up additional election-related responsibilities, including preparation and revision of electoral rolls, attending to representations and grievances arising from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), election coordination and arrangements for polling.The workload could be further strained when existing personnel have to take leave on medical or emergency grounds, as the available workforce is already stretched.Municipal Commissioner K. Mayur Ashok has acknowledged the difficulties faced by the Corporation in functioning with inadequate staff.Early filling of the vacancies is therefore essential to ensure effective delivery of civic services and reduce the burden on the existing workforce. Published - September 01, 2026 06:52 pm IST