Deptts not rigorously following guidelines, creating problems in seamless transition

Recommending employees for deputation to Ladakh UT

Fresh advisory issued to all Admn Secretaries, HoDs

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Mar 14: Several departments of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are not rigorously following the guidelines relating to deputation of employees to the Union Territory of Ladakh thereby creating problems in seamless transition. Now, the Government has issued fresh advisory to all the Administrative Secretaries and Heads of the Departments for strict compliance in future.
Vide Government Order No.158-JK(GAD) dated December 1, 2022, guidelines were laid for deputation of employees of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union Territory of Ladakh. Thereafter, vide Office Memorandum dated April 19, 2023, the General Administration Department issued few more instructions in the matter for strict compliance.
However, it has been observed that the guidelines are not being rigorously followed by the Administrative Departments/ Heads of the Departments while recommending employees for their deputation to the Union Territory of Ladakh, the General Administration Department (GAD) has observed in its latest communication.
“Notwithstanding the laid down procedure and timelines, delays have been observed within the Administrative Departments in submitting recommendations and replacements for employees who have completed their prescribed tenure hence resulting in significant challenges for the deputed employees”, the GAD has mentioned in the communication.
It has also been observed that often, a lack of diligence in consideration of factors like age, health, second tenure etc in recommending replacements leads to instances where employees deputed to the Union Territory of Ladakh as replacements of the deputed employees don’t join in the Union Territory of Ladakh resulting into non-relieving of the repatriated employees.
Laying stress on conscientious efforts in ensuring seamless transition for the employees involved, the GAD has issued fresh advisory on the subject and impressed upon all the Administrative Secretaries/ Heads of the Departments to strictly follow the guidelines for deputation of employees of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The instructions issued on the directions of the Lieutenant Governor on April 19, 2023 read: “All the officers whose tenure has got completed as per the policy issued on December 1, 2022 must be repatriated preferably within next one month”.
Moreover, all the pending representations regarding repatriation on health grounds be got duly examined as provided in the policy preferably within next one month and a clear view taken in this regard under an intimation to such representing officers/employees, the instructions said, adding timely decisions on representations under other categories concerning repatriation must also be taken without allowing them to languish for long period of time.
As per the instructions, all the Administrative Departments are required to submit proposals for repatriation of employees who have completed two years tenure in the Union Territory of Ladakh and propose suitable replacements within a week positively in order to enable the General Administration Department to place the same for consideration of the competent authority keeping in view that all such cases have to be decided in the month of April only in terms of Transfer Policy and deputation guidelines.
Further, all the Administrative Departments are supposed to get the representations examined, received from the employees for repatriation from UT of Ladakh on health grounds as per the provisions of the policy within 15 days in consultation with the Health and Medical Education Department and take a clear view/stand under an intimation to such representing officers/employees.
The Administrative Secretary of Health and Medical Education Department is already under direction to facilitate conduct of Special Standing Medical Board for all such cases referred in the third week of April under intimation to the General Administration Department for ensuring that the cases are decided by the end of the month of April.