Imphal, June 09 2010: With most of the higher ranking officers staying away from their office, Tribal Development Department has been causing immense trouble to the common who come to the office for several matters.

The building of the department just opposite to the Chief Minister's official residence is strewn with liquor bottles, more than a liquor vendor.

Even though the Department specifically deals with the problems and prospects of hill people exclusively, responsible officers starting from Director to Joint Director and Deputy Director to DDOs were absent from their offices.

This was observed during a visit to the Department by this reporter.

According to the staff of the office, Director in-charge of TD Department LP Gonmei runs his office from Secretariat as he is also a Principal Secretary.

Strangely some officers have also been doing their duties from Secretariat office.

It was only a few staff who knew where their superior officers are working.

Many of them did not know where their officers were.

Some of them opined that the officers might have been deliberately working in secret away from their allotted offices due to disturbances from UG groups.

However, this absenteeism has resulted in immense trouble to students and people coming from far off hill villages for scholarships and other people's welfare schemes.

It is reported that it took almost a week for a villager to meet an officer.

One individual who came to TD office for a matter related to a housing scheme said on condition of anonymity that it was not clear whether there was disturbances from UG groups or not.

"UGs and problems of UG groups have become a catchword for bureaucrats seeking their own selfish ends", he said.

Every department said that they were disturbed by UGs.

Still other offices and departments have been functioning normally with officers sitting in their offices with security guards, he observed.

With most of the higher ranking officers staying away from their offices, their subordinate staff have developed a derelict attitude.

Out of 17 rooms located in the first floor of the TD building, around ten rooms were found locked.

What was even more shocking was the large number of empty liquor buildings strewn in both the buildings of TD Department.

This has evoked a serious question if the Department has been converted into a place of carousal for some party-lovers.

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