‘Rationalization of staff’ order applicable to selected deptts..!

Are the officials and employees working in some key departments of Civil Secretariat insulated from adhering to time and tenure aspects of the transfer policy…..? Mere glance at the existing placement and postings proves that in affirmative and no one not even the administrative heads dare ‘change’ the status quo continuing for years.

In what can be deciphered as refreshing the existing mode of transfer policy in erstwhile J&K state, the UT government issued an order last month with subject title as ‘rationalization’ of staff in offices, its emphasis mainly on tenure of officials on their posts for a particular time period.

As per the order Administrative Secretaries were asked to take directions from CoS meeting held last month and identify the officials who have completed tenure of more than 5 years at their respective places . The administrative heads were also asked to recommend immediate transfer of such staff within a time period of 7 days.

While this fresh order, understood to have been taken after UT government received complaints in this direction made many heads roll in various departments, it is the highest place of governance- the civil secretariat which remains insulated from applicability aspect of such orders. Sources said it is in the Law department mostly, no administrative order gets implemented and where high level officials as well as staff at the junior level postings are inalienable. The department which is indeed a key one for many functionalities doesn’t even allow itself to fall under the purview of General Administration Department GAD which governs all other departments in terms of transfers, postings as well as promotions and all other things.

This department which holds key to working of the government and coordination with other departments not only within the Secretariat but in outside offices too, is an authority unto itself in deciding the time and tenure of postings besides all important promotions as well, sources said explaining the GAD also doesn’t interfere in such matters of the department. In other words it has emerged itself as a department parallel to powers and authority of GAD.

There are so many officers and staff at the junior level who have not been disturbed from existing posting for 7-10 years, not even transferred to other wings inside the Secretariat leave alone outside offices. As a result they have developed a monopoly in functioning and working parameters which are different from other departments, sources said. The nexus and connivance existed from the time of successive political governments because of nepotism and favouritism but it has remained unchanged in last three years of changed environment post 2019 August.

Pertinently, the orders of the government with regard to transfers and postings of employees irrespective of hierarchy lay thrust that transfer orders once issued must be strictly adhered but it seldom gets implemented. In ordinary cases the tenure of posting has been fixed between 2-3 years while maximum period can extend upto only 5 years.