Letters ignored twice during transfer window
Blatant violation of UT Govt’s Transfer Policy
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 23: Large number of officials of the Economics and Statistics Directorate are overstaying in different wings of the Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir even after repeated requests about their shifting during the past over one year and in blatant violation of the Transfer Policy of the Union Territory Government.
As per the official document available with EXCELSIOR, several years back more than 100 officials of the Economics and Statistics Directorate were posted in different offices of the Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir.
These officials completed their stay prescribed in the Transfer Policy of the Government of Union Territory but were not transferred for years together for the reasons best known to those who remained at the helm of affairs in the Economics and Statistics Directorate.
Presently, these officials have over-stay ranging between four years to 13 years in the blocks of the Rural Development Department and offices of the Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD), which is the clear violation of the Transfer Policy.
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On April 17, 2023, the Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir vide communication No. DRDL/Estt/ 23/Gnl/2015/2174-76 requested the Director General, Economics and Statistics J&K for shifting of 104 officials who had mature stay in Rural Development Department. It was processed by Administrative Department through e-office CC No.7178102 on the same day and sent to Planning, Development and Monitoring Department on April 29, 2023 and Director General, Economics and Statistics on May 1, 2023.
After a gap of one month and 20 days, the Director General Economics and Statistics Department, on June 20, 2023, wrote a note: “The Director Rural Development Department has proposed transfer of 104 officials posted in various blocks of Kashmir division. Some of the officials have already been transferred in the month of April 2023 and it is not possible to transfer all 104 officials in one go that too in the mid of session”.
The Director General (DG) further mentioned: “if the Rural Development Department is in need of few transfers which are urgently required within the block itself, the same can be considered if it meets the approval of Planning, Development and Monitoring Department. As far as authorizing Rural Development Department to make internal changes is concerned, it will create administrative issues since it will be difficult for the Directorate of Economics and Statistics to have track of these officials and handle the HRM related issues”.
As per the document, the ground of mid-session transfers was rejected by the Rural Development Department and through a communication the Director General Economics and Statistics was conveyed that it was because of the time the file remained un-attended in her office that it reached the mid of the financial year.
Thereafter, the Directorate of Rural Development Department resubmitted the file after verifying the status of 75 officials on September 12, 2023 but the matter was not handled promptly.
A fresh communication was also sent to Director General Economics and Statistics on February 19, 2024 with the same request as the official transfer window to shift these officials was available at that time. However, again no serious attention was paid towards the repeated requests of Director, Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir.
“Many of the Economics and Statistics Organization employees are with Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir for more than 10 years and this is not possible without the connivance of some officers of Economics and Statistics Directorate”, official sources said.
When contacted, an officer, on the condition of anonymity, said, “hopefully after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted next month process will be initiated to shift these overstaying officials of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics in different offices of Directorate of Rural Development Kashmir”.
One officer has tenure of over 13 years, one 11 years, three officers have tenure of over 10 years, one over nine years, four over eight years, five over seven years, several officers have tenure of more than six years etc.
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