We have been generally experiencing for decades in Jammu and Kashmir that after scrambling for getting a Government job , preferably in departments where there is scope for good ”work”, the most sought after favour from the concerned authorities is a ”choicest posting” at a convenient place , preferably at a place nearer to home . For this purpose, not only the tangible ”sifarish” is arranged but other means too employed to get the requisite favourable transfer order issued. What follows thereafter is a persistent effort to ensure that there was no ”dislocation” even if one continued to work at the same table , in the same department and with ever increasing acquired indispensability. Do all such practices not lead to – One- poor performance or even non-performance, say affecting efficiency;, Two- promoting corrupt practices and last but not least asserting influence-ability ? Do all such practices in vogue auger all fair and within permissible rules of all hues in Jammu and Kashmir administrative structure and system?
Should , therefore, a well balanced and properly weighed transparent , clear cut , well defined, employee friendly , public friendly and “employer” friendly transfer policy not be issued as a guide book prescribing on which grounds , when and how transfers of employees should take place? What is ”employer friendly” when we only talk of people and employee friendly is due to the fact that the ”employer ” or the Government which is having the biggest stake in everything related to the issue, must have its interests protected too which means the effect of a sound transfer policy to be such which delivers on the ground the policies and the schemes and the programmes of development and welfare of the people initiated by the Government and who else other than the structure of employees can ensure that. In industrial organisations we measure the quantity of product output as also quality thereof which is linked to employees’ levels of hard work and contribution to the growth of the organisation . In Government departments, therefore, there must be set barometers to measure employees’ performance which otherwise gets affected due to faulty postings and transfers mostly without convincing , reasonable and tangible grounds as if without doing that , the work of a particular department would really suffer.
Personal problems of employees as a basis and routine as also other reasons extraneous to the considerations for ordering a due and usual transfer need not to be entertained unless some pressing personal problems and purely on humanitarian grounds or absolutely in the interests of the functioning of the particular department warrant . However, some sort of relaxation can be allowed in respect women employees who should be posted as far as possible in the same city, village or town or nearby where husband employee is serving but not in the same department for obvious reasons. Hence practices like indulging in mass transfers, as if rolling out some products of an industrial unit as and when desired and in as much quantum as ”convenient”, has been decided to be rightly stopped forthwith vide directions issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Government addressed to all Administrative Secretaries , departmental Heads and other related authorities. If implemented in letter and spirit and in pursuance of the purpose for which issued, transparency, parity, justice, no favouritism , discouraging corruption like ”adverse side effects” of the prevailing system shall be taken care of suitably with encouraging results.
Efficiency has been made the rationale and given more weight- age in the directives, the provision of ”having completed two years” can thus be waived if an officer performed well , efficiently and provided good leadership to his or her team to perform. A year can be stretched in such cases but no transfers or flouting efficiency or performance factors in respect of two year term of transfers should not be dispensed with as stagnancy or posting at a particular station in a particular department and at a particular seat /table may also breed corrupt practices, wielding undue influence and indispensability . Rotation should be encouraged at all costs to prevent irregularities and frauds even if cumulative burden of the cost of such unavoidable transfers on the public exchequer takes place. However, what is awaited is a comprehensive, transparent and well devised transfer policy to be set as a guide book for authorities mandated to issue such transfer orders.
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