The Collectorate play a pivotal role in the District administration. Collector in the Cadre of I.A.S heads the District. He acts as the District Magistrate for maintaining Law and Order in his jurisdiction. He deals mainly with planning and development, law and order, scheduled areas/agency areas, general elections, arms licensing etc.
The responsibilities assigned are as follows :
As District Magistrate:
- Maintenance of law and order.
- Supervision of the police and jails.
- Supervision of subordinate Executive magistracy.
- Hearing cases under the preventive section of the Criminal Procedure Code.
- Supervision of jails and certification of execution of capital sentences.
- Arbitrator of land acquisition.
- Disaster management during natural calamities such as floods, famines or epidemics.
- Crisis management during riots or external aggression.
As Collector:
- Land assessment
- Land acquisition
- Collection
- Collection of income tax dues, excise duties, irrigation dues etc.
- Distribution of agricultural loans
As Deputy Commissioner/District Commissioner:
- Reports to Divisional Commissioner on all matters.
As District Election Officer:
- Conducts Elections in the district, be it General, Assembly or Municipal.
- Acts as the Returning Officerfor the Lok Sabha constituency in the district.
A District Magistrate is assisted by some following for carrying out day-to-day work in various fields:–
- District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDO)
- District Revenue Officer (DRO)
- City Magistrate (HCS)
- Sub-Divisional Magistrate(s) (SDM)
- Other officers from other departments at district level also report to him.