Vijayawada: In a major overhaul of Andhra Pradesh’s public service administration, the state govt has decided to treat deputy collector and deputy superintendent of police (DSP) posts as multi-zonal cadre posts instead of state cadre positions, significantly restricting their geographical mobility. Officers who were earlier eligible for postings anywhere in the state will now remain confined to one of the state’s two newly created multi-zones under the Andhra Pradesh Public Employment (Organisation of Local Cadres and Regulation of Direct Recruitment) Order, 2025.The reform is part of the state’s comprehensive staff rationalisation exercise initiated after the implementation of the Presidential Order, 2025, which reorganises govt services into district, zonal, contiguous and multi-zonal cadres. Finance department has issued detailed implementation guidelines to determine cadre strength, distribute sanctioned posts and allocate personnel under the new structure.The most significant change affects officers such as deputy collectors, DSPs, commercial tax officers (CTO) and other equivalent categories of group-I services, which were previously classified as state-level posts, will now be divided between Multi-Zone I and Multi-Zone II, ending the decades-old system of state-wide transfers for these categories.The state has been divided into two multi-zones covering 26 districts. Multi-Zone I comprises 13 districts stretching from Srikakulam to NTR, while Multi-Zone II covers the remaining 13 districts from Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore around Rayalaseema region. As a result, a deputy collector or DSP recruited in Multi-Zone II will no longer be eligible for postings in districts falling under Multi-Zone I and vice versa.For instance, a deputy collector belonging to Rayalaseema cannot be posted in Visakhapatnam, while a DSP from Rajahmundry will not be eligible for a posting in Tirupati. The newly created Polavaram and Markapuram will be adjusted into two separate zones after getting approval from the President for the bifurcation of the districts.Apart from creating two multi-zones, the Presidential Order has reorganised the state into six zones and district cadres, replacing the earlier structure of four zones and 13 districts that existed after bifurcation. The cadre strength of every department will now be recalculated based on territorial jurisdiction, administrative requirements, service delivery obligations and functional necessity.The guidelines also prescribe a scientific formula for distributing sanctioned posts among newly reorganised districts using Post Allocation Ratios (PARs) based on parameters such as population, number of beneficiaries, service delivery units and geographical coverage. Departments have been directed to determine both cadre strength and working strength before allocating employees to the new local cadres.To ensure smooth implementation, the govt has imposed a temporary ban on creation or upgradation of posts, fresh recruitment, appointments, promotions, transfers and deputations until the entire personnel allocation process is completed.Special chief secretaries, secretaries and HoDs have also been instructed to establish or reorganise supervisory offices in line with the new multi-zonal, zonal and district boundaries wherever necessary. The restructuring marks one of the biggest administrative reforms in AP’s civil services since bifurcation and is expected to redefine recruitment, transfers and career progression of thousands of state employees under the new local cadre system. State secretariat, commissionerates, directorates and other state offices have been exempted from the reorganisation.–State cadre posts will be reorganised into multi-zone postsMulti-zone-ISrikakulam, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, ASR, Kakinada, East Godavari, Konaseema Dr BR Ambedkar, West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna and NTRMulti-zone-IIGuntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Tirupati, Chittoor, Annamayya, Kadapa, Ananthapuram, Sri Satya Sai, Kurnool, NandyalZonal PostsZone-I: Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Parvathipuram Manyam, Visakhapatnam, AnakapalleZone-II: ASR, Kakinada, East Godavari, Konaseema Dr BR AmbedkarZone-III: West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna and NTRZone-IV: Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, Prakasam, NelloreZone-V: Tirupati, Chittoor, Annamayya, KadapaZone-VI: Ananthapuram, Sri Satya Sai, Kurnool, Nandyal
