Both my self and President held a meeting with Chairman, CBEC on 11-7-2011. Member (P&V) and Joint Secretary (Admin) and other officials of CBEC were present. Officebearers of Customs Preventive Officers Federation also attended the meeting. The meeting lasted about one hour. We forcefully presented our case for revision of ratio, implementation of base cadre seniority, removal of acute intra-cadre/inter-cadre stagnation etc. with Chairman, who gave us a patient hearing and directed the concerned officials to speed-up the action in all these matters. We also discussed with the Chairman the DPC issue in Bubaneshwar, formulation of Transfer policy in Gujarath and Mumbai and Chairman directed the concerned officials to take necessary action in these matters. Customs Federation also insisted on implementation of revision of ratio before implementation of CR. Minutes of our meeting with Chairman will be issued by the Board and as soon as the minutes are issued, the same will be published in our Blog. Letters have also been submitted to the Chariman on these issues and the same will be published soon.
Today we met ADG(HRM) and discussed about implementation of base cadre seniority and removal of stagnation in our cadre in various circles and to bring parity in promotional prospects all over the country. We have also met Superintendent Association in Delhi today and discussed all the issues CR, in-situe scheme etc. Confederation Meeting is going to be held in New Delhi on 22-7-2011. Vice-President and Joint Secretary, North will be attending the meeting. Certain decisions with regard to New Pension Scheme are likely to be taken in the Confederation Meeting.
CBEC is formulating a revised transfer policy for Group-B (Gazetted and Non-Gazetted) and has circulated the draft transfer policy. Draft transfer policy is published below. We will be staying in Delhi upto 15th inst. We request all of you to go through the Draft Transfer Policy and to send your views and suggestions to my mail or in the comments column of this post before 14th so that a consolidated report of our suggestions and comments can be submitted to the Board/ADG-HRM on this issue.
Draft Transfer Policy for Gr.B Officers of CBEC
Draft Transfer Policy for Gr.B Officers of CBEC
4 comments:
Postings, for Inspectors, in Ranges which deal exclusively or predominantly with Public Sector Enterprises or other Government concerns should be considered non- sensitive. Similarly, postings in Vigilance Branches, at least for Inspectors, should not be considered sensitive, since there is no public dealing involved, and no discretionary responsibilities are entrusted with them in such postings. It also needs to be expressly mentioned in the Policy that ICT's even within the Zone should be ordered only to accommodate requests, and not on any other untenable pretexts like "reducing chances of corruption". Unwarranted ICT's within the Zone cause untold hardships and uncertainty for the affected officers with no benefits accruing to the department work-wise, especially in Zones spread over vast geographical areas, and they are primarily used as tools by the administration to browbeat anyone showing some spine.
At para H of the draft policy it is envisaged that there has to be a mandatory ICT within the Zone after a specified time spent in a Commissionerate. This is a major deviation from the extant policy in Seniority Zones such as the Bhopal Zone, which extends over two and a half states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and half of Maharashtra, together having an area of nearly six lakh square kms, with some of the most hostile terrains in the country included in its jurisdiction. With nothing proposed on the mechanism to bring back officers transferred out of their preferred Commissionerates against their will, this will surely be a harrowing experience for affected officers and only compound the problems of caring for one's family and educating one’s children in any institution of decent standard, prohibitively expensive and next to impossible to secure admissions that they already are as such. How can one even think of settling one's family in one place, and maybe build a small house somewhere, if the Sword of Damocles signifying transfer to a place which can take as many as 30-40 hours to access always hangs over one’s head. Such a draconian draft transfer policy needs to be opposed tooth and nail. It would serve no purpose other than unleashing a reign of terror on the cadres of Inspectors and Superintendents by the Administration and an even worse scenario of favoritism than what we see today would emerge if it gets implemented. The reasons proffered for bringing in such a policy (to avoid entrenchment and such other humbug)are just an eyewash aimed at assumption of unbridled authority by the powers that be to harass and manipulate the Gr B Executives.
To formulate a new transfer policy with the objective aim to provide transparency & clarity to promote integrity, efficiency and performance of the officers.
This is very good thing if department really wants to do so but, on going through the draft of proposed policy, it looks like a miracle. In the proposed policy, Chief Commissioner and Commissioners’ are given vast discretion powers. In guise of administration they will be able to post an officer from one sensitive charge to another sensitive charge, as also going on presently viz...
(i) Many such instances are noticed wherein certain officers continuously allowed to work in sensitive charge. On paper they are rotated from sensitive charge to non sensitive charge from time to time but in the guise of administration they are allowed to hold additional charge of some other sensitive charge by making order on the note sheet of a file. Such charge/posting did not reflect anywhere in the establishment record or history of posting of the officer. By this way certain officers get back door entry and continuously enjoying sensitive charge. Everybody knows that such types of postings are given only to those officers, who are close & submissive to the higher-ups irrespective of their work performance towards department.
(ii) Practically it is not feasible for the Chief Commissioner or Commissioner to monitor of each and every officer, directly. They get feedback from the AC/DC/JC or from his ACR grading. Everybody knows that generally excellent and outstanding grading are given to those officer, who are close and submissive to the higher-ups.
In absence of strict transfer / rotation policy, transfer and fairness may not be expected from the administration. You are therefore requested to make strong representation / submissions before the CBEC on behalf of our association to frame strict rotation/ transfer posting policy by leaving minimum discretion with the Chief Commissioner and Commissioners’ in rotation/ transfer posting policy of Group “B” officers for better and efficient performance of all the officers. To ensure transparency, all rotation/ transfer posting orders and HOP of the officer should invariably be placed on the website of the concerned office.
Postings in Vigilance Branches should not be considered sensitive, since there is no public dealing involved, and no discretionary responsibilities are entrusted with them in such postings
With respect to the change of Customs policy in Gujarat I would also like to write few lines with a request to draw kind attention of the CBEC:
The Chief Commissioner has totally changed the transfer posting policy of Customs in Gujarat. As per new policy, totally inexperienced officers have been posted in customs. Newly recruited Inspectors, who have joined department in 2011 and did not have any experience of the department, but been posted at Custom House, Kandla/Mundra. Rest of the officers are those officers, who have never worked in customs or worked in customs in past but have longest gap.
Posting of junior most and never worked in Customs at Major Port, Kandla and Mundara is illogical and irrational so far as such place of posting are not at all a place for novice or a training centre. Only well experienced officers should be posted at such places to have check on evasion of duty or mis-declaration of goods etc. The posting on seniority basis (holding Customs experience officers should be allotted only higher ratio) and also on willingness basis would prove more effective tool to curtail any such unscrupulous activities. Junior most officers should be trained and be appraised with the Customs work at Headquarters level, Division level and minor Customs Ports before considering their posting directly to major Customs Houses. The posting like major Customs Houses, ICDs, DGCEI, DRI, Anti-evasion etc. warrants experience holder officers to justify the core function of the department. The policy framed for Customs, in this way, would prove to be ineffective illogical and absurd to curtail any unscrupulous activities or evasion of duty.
In every organization or private sector, it is seen that preference is given to the experienced person and accordingly to his/her experience important work is assigned to them, posting and promotion are offered on the basis of their experience only. Merits counts for them, but here in this new policy framed by the Chief Commissioner, experience have no value and experience holders have been deprived from Customs postings. Preference is being given to the inexperienced officers. Experienced officers who had worked in Customs would be deprived from Customs Posting for a long time and they may not get chance to work again in Customs. Recently many smuggling / duty evasion cases have been booked at Kandla, Mundra & Pipavav Port though, as per new policy, inexperienced officers have been posted at theses ports. Purpose behind posting of inexperience officers at major ports is out of understanding.
The new policy framed would create only dissatisfaction amongst officers, disturbing their family life too. The earlier policy was a balanced policy giving officers the equal opportunity to work efficiently in Department and simultaneously look after the welfare of their family, which too, is the part of their duty. The administration should have consideration for family life too, to improve the performance of the officers. A disturbed man cannot perform good deeds up to the mark. So the administration should reconsider certain points and should make the systems of our department strong instead of opting option to post a novice directly to Customs, that to major ports, Customs Houses. To deprive the experience holders from posting of Customs for a long time would also make them inexperience and their experience all in vain. Therefore, permanent willing Customs staff will be a better option to improve the work efficiency.
These are merely the feelings and suggestions without any prejudice and in the interest of department and welfare of Staff. You are requested to please take-up to draw the kind attention of the Board in the matter and make a representation in this regard please.
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