Review Committees to shortly make recommendations
Says no place for non-performing officials in administration
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 18: In order to cleanse the administration of the non-performing officials, the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has directed all the departments to expeditiously complete the verification exercise so that dead-woods are removed from the services as per the provisions of the Civil Service Regulations, 1956.
Highly placed sources told EXCELSIOR that the issue of removal of dead-woods from the Government service was deliberated upon in a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta few days back.
“In the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized on the expeditious removal of dead-woods from the Government service and asked all the departments to review cases on the basis of documentary evidence and complete the process at the earliest strictly as per the provisions of Article 226(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations, 1956”, they informed.
He further directed all the Administrative Departments to immediately convene meetings of the Review Committees, assess the performance of employees in the light of Article 226(2) of the Civil Service Regulations and make recommendations to the Government.
The Article 226 (2) deals with compulsory retirement of the officials on completion of 22 years of qualifying service or on attaining 48 years of age and to review the cases of all those employees who fall in this provision the Government has already constituted Review Committees.
One Review Committee headed by Financial Commissioner Finance Department and comprising Administrative Secretaries of five departments and Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor has been framed to consider the cases of officers holding post of Under Secretary and above.
Similarly, Review Committees have been constituted for all the 39 Administrative Departments of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to consider the cases of Non-Gazetted officials. These Committees are headed by Financial Commissioner Finance Department, Financial Commissioner Health and Medical Education Department and Principal Secretary Home Department.
“The Chief Secretary has conveyed to all the Administrative Secretaries that accountability in the administration can be ensured only when non-performing officers are shown the doors and there should not be any delay on the part of the Review Committees so that objective behind their establishment is achieved expeditiously”, sources further informed.
A number of officials have already been shown the doors as per the provisions of Article 226(2) and fresh directives of the Chief Secretary clearly indicate that more non-performing officials will be thrown out of the Government service shortly, they said.
Article 226 (2) empowers the Government to retire any Government servant other than one working on a post which is included in Schedule-II of the Rules, after he or she has completed 22 years of qualifying service or on attaining 48 years of age. However, this power can be exercised provided that the appropriate authority gives a notice to the Government servant at least 3 months before the date on which he or she is required to retire or three months of pay and allowance in lieu of such notice.
Earlier under Article 226(2) no explicit time-frame was fixed for review of the performance of the Government servants. However, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha incorporated provisions making it compulsory to initiate exercise for each Government servant for the first time after his/her completion of 22 years of service or attaining 48 years of age and any time subsequently as may be required.
Under Article 226 (2), the Government servants can be recommended for compulsory retirement in case their integrity is doubtful; if found to be ineffective in work and the basic consideration in identifying such Government servants would be their fitness/competence to continue in the post held and their utility for the purpose for which they are employed.
“A Government servant retiring on superannuation within a period of one year from the date of consideration of his/her case may be retired under these Regulations where there is a sudden and steep fall in the competence, efficiency or effectiveness”, sources said, adding “similarly, a Government servant whose service during the preceding five years or since his or her last promotion has deteriorated suddenly or substantially will be considered for compulsory retirement”.
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