It appears that the Government is gradually tightening the noose and is identifying areas where administration needs to be streamlined even if punitive action is required to be taken. In last one or two weeks we have seen the axe falling on a large number of delinquent functionaries as dead wood. The process of cleaning the administration of dead wood continues. But every action in this direction is taken within the parameters of rules and regulations. Proper service rules are invoked to reprimand, censure or punish Government employees.
It is a good and healthy sign if the Government has realized that politicians are unnecessarily interfering in the administration of the State. The media has often drawn the attention of the Government towards this unhealthy trend but without any positive results. Now that the Government has understood that political interference is highly detrimental, it has begun to take some preventive measures. A number of Departments have individually taken recourse to the service rules and issued notices to the respective subordinates that an attempt of bring political pressures for transfer or posting to a choice place is contravention of service regulations and as such is cognizable under rules. Employees Conduct rules of 1971 says that “no Government employee shall bring or attempt to bring any political or other outside influence to bear upon any superior authority to further his interest in respect of matter pertaining to his service under the Government.” Political pressure is a recurrent phenomenon in our State. Many decisions in regard to service matters of employees are taken under political pressure. Some senior bureaucrats to the level of Commissioners and Secretaries have openly said that political pressures are brought to do or undo things according to the choice of the persons in politics that tend to bring pressure.
Generally, when employees find their transfer not suiting their interest they put up an application for changing the place of posting or when the employees put up an application requesting the authorities to cancel their transfer order, they approach MLAs, MLCs, MPs and even ministers to get their transfer cancelled or kept in abeyance. This is done on the strength of political clout that they have. By way of warning such functionaries, they are told that bringing political pressure is contrary to service rules to which we have alluded to. The Government has gone more than one step forward in this direction. Some of the Commissioners-cum- Secretary have taken two decisions simultaneously. One is that any letter written by an MLA/MLC/NP/Minister recommending a senior Government officer for consideration of revised transfer order shall have to note that the letter of recommendation will be put on his APRs. Secondly, their application for reconsideration of his transfer order will not mean that he will continue to be where he is till his application is decided. Many employees in such category generally manage to stretch time and stay put at their places under the plea that their application for reconsideration of transfer is under process. Under fresh orders issued by the Secretaries, it is clear that once the transfer or posting order is issued he or she will have to act on it within the stipulated time.
The intent of the Government is reinforced by yet another step that has been taken in this direction. The DDOs of concerned Department has been directed not to draw the salary of the employee who has been transferred unless the conditions stated in the order applied to that official.
This is all fine and good. That the Government is trying to streamline the administration and plug the loopholes wherever possible is a welcome step and people will feel very happy that favoritism is not allowed to have its way in the administration. But at the same time, there is another aspect of this issue. Why do the politicians interfere in the administration? Why do they shoot letters of recommendation to the Heads of the Departments or Commissioners or Ministers that mean showing favour to a Government functionary? This is undue interference in the administration and has to be discouraged.
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