CEC HELD AT JALANDHAR; LETTER TO HON'BLE CC REG. DRAFT TFR POLICY

THE CIRCLE EXECUTIVE MEET WAS  HELD AT JALANDHAR ON 22.04.2013. THE TEAM AICEIA THANKS THE MEMBERS OF JALANDHAR DIVISION FOR THEIR COURTESY AND COOPERATION FOR HOLDING THE MEETING.

THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING WILL BE PLACED ON THE BLOG SHORTLY.

AS DESIRED BY THE CIRCLE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, A LETTER HAS BEEN SENT TO THE HON'BLE CHIEF COMMISSIONER, CHANDIGARH WITH A COPY TO THE COMMISSIONER ( CADRE CONTROLLING) CHANDIGARH REGARDING OUR INTERIM SUBMISSIONS ON THE DRAFT TRANSFER POLICY. THE SAME IS REPRODUCED BELOW FOR INFORMATION OF THE MEMBERS.

Dated : 26.04.2013

To

The Chief Commissioner,

Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax,

Chandigarh Zone,

Chandigarh.

Rev. Sir,

                      

Sub:       SUBMISSIONS REGARDING DRAFT TRANSFER GUIDELINES IN RESPECT OF GROUP B EXECUTIVE OFFICERS.

                                         ****

Your kind attention is drawn to the subject draft transfer policy and the Association letter dated 01.04.2013, whereby the association had requested that the existing transfer policy guidelines may be implemented this year for issuance of the transfer orders, and we had also requested to provide time to discuss the draft transfer policy with the members of our cadre.

The association has come to know that the administration has in principle acceded the request of the Association to issue transfer orders as per existing transfer policy. We hereby convey our thanks to the administration for having agreed to our reasonable demand on this point.

The association has discussed the proposed changes in the draft policy with its members at all the stations of the Zone. The Association is open for deliberations with the administration on the subject.  

The detailed submissions in this regard will be made later on in due course. However, the salient points of the discussions and resolutions of our cadre are intimated hereunder for your information and kind consideration: -

1.                    The cadre has unanimously and strongly objected to proposed tenure of 3 years for J&K Commissionerate. We have been of the opinion that J&K is still declared as disturbed area under the Disturbed Areas Act, and the law and order situation there is still volatile. The law and order situation in J & K, especially in the valley area, changes as frequently as weather. There is no proper security and infrastructure for our officers in the region. The tales narrated by some of our members have been harrowing and horrible and just like a night-mare. It may be added that our cadre does not enjoy the privileges enjoyed by the senior officers and by no stretch of imagination our cadre can be compared with the Group A cadre of the Department. The reason of  administrative efficiency for longer tenure in J&K does not stand the test of logical scrutiny in view of the fact that the tenure in the various posts, which are equally or even more sensitive, in the Customs Preventive Commissionerate, Amritsar, the far-away Ranges/Offices of Central Excise and important sections of non-sensitive nature like Audit/Review/Adjudication, is one year for the last so many years and the system has been working very well and there has been no tangible drawbacks. Moreover, it is the policy of Govt. of India that the officers posted to North East (J & K is at par with N/E region) are to be given their choice station after two years tenure, but the proposed changes will take away this choice available as per existing policy from members of our cadre, who spend one year extra in J&K for the sake of stability of their family.

2.                    Another point stressed regarding the J&K posting by our cadre is that the roster should be prepared strictly as per the existing policy i.e. firstly those officers who have never gone to J & K (period of nine months of below to be counted as NIL) and thereafter, the officers who have longest stay outside J&K, irrespective of the tenure they had in J & K as per the then prevalent policy, should be included in the roster.

3.                    The third point regarding J and K posting is that keeping in view the modern trends of gender equality and also that the lady officers are equally gifted with the qualities of boldness/intelligence/knowledge and are equally adventurous, and also compete with male counter-parts at all highly sensitive stations of the Zone, their names should also be included in the roster. This will give them more exposure to work in challenging circumstances and at the same time, give some relief to male members, whose turn may be little less frequent than the one as per the existing guidelines. However, keeping in view the social milieu and the extra-responsibilities of lady officers towards their family, they may be exempted at their request from the roster subject to the condition that they opt for non-sensitive postings for at least two years over and above their normal tenure to such non-sensitive postings. Such requests should be accepted except in case of extreme administrative exigencies.

4.                    Another point, which is very important, is that the transfer policy at every Commissionerate level should be framed immediately. This is especially required at the earliest in the J&K Commissionerate keeping in view the disturbed law and order situation and security concerns of our officers in the valley/border postings.

As the finalization of the transfer policy guidelines is a lengthy and cumbersome process, which may entail long discussions/debates/deliberations, it is requested that a joint meeting of the administration with the recognized associations of all the stake holders, may be convened under the chairmanship of your goodself so that the policy is fine-tuned and both the administrative efficiency and staff welfare is improved.

The association hopes that the above submissions and suggestions will be considered sympathetically. We will be making our detailed submissions on all other points also in the near future.

This letter is issued with the prior approval of the President.

Thanking you,

                                                                    Humbly yours,

                                                                                             (BHAGWAN SINGH)

GENERAL SECRETARY.

Copy forwarded for kind information and sympathetic necessary action to the Commissioner ( Cadre Controlling), Chandigarh please.