Rajan Gandhi
With lakhs of unemployed youth in our State, Government job is the prize which every youngster dreams of daily and thousands of aspirants applying even for class IV jobs speak about the job situation right now. Once in job next hurdle is getting transfer at an appropriate place. This aspect of employees has been very effectively utilized by various Governments of past as well as present. Though shifting of officers and staff is imperative for smooth running of organizations and to achieve various ends of public satisfaction, the need for issuing transfer orders arises time to time. Administration has to work from different angles to ensure that honest and zealous stuff is put to work in the field to generate public confidence and to fulfill the requirements of running the society. There are numerous instances where the officers do not suit to the minimum requirements at a particular place resulting in such a hue and cry that the higher hierarchy has to replace the person for smooth performance of the concerned department.
But in our state the transfer aspect has assumed a business. There have been rampant and bulk transfers in various departments. The number of transfers in one order in many cases surpasses 100 odd employees, which is nothing but an alarm to signify that there is something fishy either inside the system or in the execution of such high quantum of transfer. Though transfer lists get wide coverage through newspaper and social media but nobody comes to know how many of them actually joined at their place of transfer or how many got orders modified and how many got attached to their respective directorate offices. It will be more interesting to know what are the sanctioned strengths of various directorate offices and how many are actually there including the attached ones. How one gets transferred from one city office to another office of the same city within days whereas someone else gets only rural or far off postings only. Reasons are obvious. The total number of employees working in our state government departments is around five lakh with Education Department having the highest number of work force of one and a half lakh persons followed by Home Department with one lakh, Health and Medical Education Department fifty thousands, PHE with thirty five thousand, Power Department with twenty five thousand employees and Agriculture Production with twenty thousand , Forest Department nineteen thousand ,PWD with fifteen thousand Revenue Department with fourteen thousand ,Ladakh Affairs with thirteen thousand and Animal/ Sheep Husbandry twelve thousand employees approximately with other Departments having employees strength between three to nine thousands. The more the employees, greater the mess it is. In this age of computers and digitization why all employees’ information is not uploaded online and set procedures for transfers followed. But the will and intent to bring transparency is not there and transfer industry goes on and on unabated.
Moreover, there is a sort of competition between various departments for transfers as if they get a cue from each other to implement it. Capability, potential to deliver and the commitment is not mandatory in placement now a day which is largely leading to inadequate services. Power crisis, scarcity of water, dilapidated roads, poor sanitary conditions, traffic chaos, poor policing, mal-functioning in Rural Development Department at different levels is order of the day. Rural health care and education being the worst sufferers among all or else how can one explain transfer of an Urdu teacher in a college where there is no Urdu department. There is dearth of specialized doctors in far flung hospitals and even those getting jobs on the basis of ALC or RBA don’t want to serve in rural area despite clear guidelines that every doctor has to compulsorily serve for a minimum of two years in category “A” (very difficult) and for five years in category “B/C” (difficult) health institutions in his/her first ten years of service. However, doctors get posted to their convenience and comfort on their first appointment itself. Recent disclosure in this newspaper itself show how 2000 transfers had been ordered by DHS Jammu for 900 doctors itself speaks a lot about state of affairs.
There are 285 villages of Rajouri, Nowshera, Mendhar, Haveli, Kupwara and Akhnoor falling under the Actual Line of Control (ALC) which are availing benefits as per the J&K Reservation Act, 2004 and Rules thereto. All those recruited on basis of RBA or ALC, it is clear as per guidelines issued by the General Administrative Department, to serve minimum seven years at ALC or RBA . Guidelines clearly say who so ever take the benefit of the special categories at the time of their appointment or admission to the professional institutions and in case the post against which he has been appointed is not available in such area, he shall be posted in the nearest adjacent backward area or nearest adjacent Line of Actual Control. But the fact is that in several cases persons appointed on the basis of reservation earmarked for backward areas have not served the mandatory 7 years in these areas, notwithstanding the fact that their appointment has been made on the basis of such reservation. Various circulars have also drawn the attention of the administrative heads of the mandatory requirement under subsections (2) and (3) of Section 3 which provides that any person who, after being appointed on the basis of reservation, declines to serve in the reserved area “shall be liable to termination from service”. But who cares and how many have been terminated is a valid question to be asked from concerned authorities. Astonishingly the Ministries and departmental heads instead of mitigating public grievances, remain busy planning lists of transfers and issuing orders for reasons that need no explanation. The most distressing aspect of all these is the non recording of reasons as mandated under the transfer policy for all the pre mature transfers which are effected time to time. Vested political, personal and pecuniary interests are what matter most in the transfers or otherwise there is no explanation for non compliance with set guidelines and arbitrariness in the matter that has led to highly capricious and politicized transfers providing ample scope of corrupt practices.
The Centre has also taken a strong note of the PDP-BJP Government’s patronage to the “transfers” in Jammu and Kashmir as it is ruining the system and governance of the state .The Centre is concerned by serious complaints about the way frequent transfers were taking place in the state administration and the police department as there is a list of various officers who were transferred three or four times in a year which has alarmed the centre about the adverse impact of such happenings in a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir as it is hurting the reputation of the Central Government as well which claims to be committed to a fair and transparent governance. More than 2,000 officials in the civil administration and police have changed places, some were changed within 24 hours of their previous orders of posting and officers are uncertain about their tenure, unless they have political connections. There is no reason why inspectors from armed battalions are in charge of police stations and executive inspectors attached to DPL, a practice totally discouraged previously. Some senior officers have been transferred after they refused to allow encroachments and violation of construction rules or otherwise no one can explain five JMC commissioners in three years of rule. With no guideline or rule being followed, lots of court cases are pending due to which even promotions of employees are held up. Adhocism is the order of the day otherwise how can one explain a AEE retiring as Chief Engineer and High Court has taken cognizance of this particular instance and ordered the government to regularize all promotions instead of stop gap arrangements.
All of this has been going in the past but our CM has shown the intent to provide a transparent administration. Public grievances darbar at various district headquarters along with setup of grievance cell has been widely appreciated by public of the state. Various on the spot corrective steps have been taken by her, be it attachment of MS of GMC, Jammu or removal of Director DHS, Jammu. With this message is clear, nobody is above the interest of public. Maintaining transfer database of five lakh employees is not a marathon task in today’s scenario and one hopes CM gives a clear cut direction to end this transfer menace.
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