*Sensitive postings given on plea of ‘admn interest’
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 3: Taking serious note of shifting of officers from one sensitive to another sensitive posting without any justification and recording reasons, the Government has withdrawn the powers relating to transfer of employees vested in Chief Engineer, M&RE Jammu and cancelled all the transfer orders issued in blatant violation of the Transfer Policy notified early this year.
Moreover, the Development Commissioner Power (DCP) has been asked to conduct enquiry into the allegations leveled against Ashwani Gupta, Incharge Superintending Engineer, presently holding the additional charge of the post of Chief Engineer, EM&RE Jammu within a period of 30 days.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that vide Government Order No.60 dated April 2, 2016, the Commissioner/Secretary, Power Development Department Dheeraj Gupta notified a Transfer Policy laying down detailed guidelines for effecting transfers for various categories of officers including for the Junior Engineers.
Moreover, as per the directions of the Governor N N Vohra, who was running the affairs of the State at that time, the Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department even fixed parameters to assess the performance of PDD employees. It was specifically mentioned in the order that department will ensure rotation of employees on posts of different nature—from a sensitive to non-sensitive posting and vice-versa and transfers will be ordered only by the competent authority that too at the fixed time-frame mentioned in the order.
However, in blatant violation of the notified Transfer Policy, the Incharge Chief Engineer EM&RE Jammu transferred several Junior Engineers vide Order Nos.122 and 124 of 2016 dated May 2, 2016 and Order Nos.131 and 132 of 2016 dated May 6, 2016 by mentioning that these orders have been issued in the interest of administration.
Against these orders issued by throwing into winds the duly laid down Transfer Policy, a complaint was received in the Administrative Department on June 6, 2016 alleging therein that transfers were made by Incharge Chief Engineer, EM&RE on extraneous considerations.
“The Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department, Dheeraj Gupta got this complaint verified through the Development Commissioner Power (DCP), who concluded that the transfer orders issued by Incharge Chief Engineer, Ashwani Gupta were in violation of the Transfer Policy”, sources said.
These transfer orders have been issued purportedly ‘in the interest of administration’ but no interest either of the ‘general public’ or of the ‘administration’ is served by violating a notified policy or accommodating officers from one sensitive posting to another sensitive posting without any justification and recording reasons, observed the Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department after going through the communication of the Development Commissioner Power, adding “it is apparent that the orders sans merit and competence and are in violation of the policy”.
It has also been observed that the Incharge Chief Engineer was fully aware that the Development Commissioner Power was already in the process of formulating a proposal for transfers and postings of Junior Engineers in line with the Transfer Policy in consultation with Chief Engineers with a view to ensure inter-wing and inter-category rotation of JEs.
“This action by a senior functionary of the department is a case of insubordination and abuse of power and an attempt to thwart the implementation of the notified policy which aims at bringing transparency and accountability in transfers”, Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary, Power Development Department said in an order, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR.
Taking serious note of all these aspects, the Government has cancelled the transfer Order Nos. 122 and 124 of 2016 dated May 2, 2016 and order Nos. 131 and 132 of 2016 dated May 6, 2016 issued by the Incharge Chief Engineer EM&RE Jammu and the officers transferred vide these orders have been directed to revert to their previous places of postings.
Moreover, the Government has withdrawn all the powers, relating to transfer of employees, vested in Chief Engineer EM&RE Jammu and made it clear that such powers shall be exercised by the next higher authority till further orders.
Even an enquiry has been ordered into the allegations leveled in the complaint dated June 6, 2016 and Development Commissioner Power has been asked to look into entire gamut of circumstances leading to issuance of these transfer orders and submit report/recommendations within 30 days.
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