Update on Recent Developments

        Office Bearers of the  constituents of the Joint Action Committee of Associations of Officers and Staff in the CBEC were invited to a meeting by the Member (P&V)  in New Delhi on 10.01.2013. AICEIA was represented in the same by the President and SG. The DGHRD, CBEC was also present in the meeting. Discussions  were centered around  the JAC Charter of Demands . Explanatory notes on the same had already been communicated to the Board. The JAC representatives articulated the aspirations of the respective cadres and put forth suggestions on how the same could be realistically met. The Official side is seized of the matter and has assured expeditious action in that direction.

      CBEC has returned the CR proposal  along with reply to all queries  and justifications for  functional  requirements to the DoP&T ,  where more than a dozen such proposals from various Departments are reportedly stuck, in view of the uncertainty surrounding  Austerity Measures announced by the MoF. Unless exceptions to those are made by the GoI, all CR proposals including ours remain stalled.   Meanwhile, it is learnt that on 11.1.13  the Board has  made a presentation on the CR proposals to the Finance Minister.  

      During the last week the AICEIA has made detailed submissions, in writing, and in person, to the Member(P&V), the DGHRD and the ADG(HRM) on its demand to upgrade as Superintendents all Inspectors of Central Excise who have completed the Residency period of 8 years of service . We are hopeful that the same will be considered soon. In fact indications are that a scheme for granting in-situ promotion to Inspectors  on length of service basis (as different from availability of vacancies condition) is under active consideration. We are in the process of communicating to the Board that any such scheme should also address present regional disparities, subsequent fixation of seniority in the Gr B Gazetted cadre, alleviate stagnation for good, and other such considerations.

      The Member(P&V)  and DGHRD have also been fully apprised of the problems being faced by Inspectors seeking transfer to a different Cadre Control Zone, on account of stringent conditions imposed by the Board and appropriate relaxations have been  sought again by the Assn. It was informed that the Board had considered the same in light of our earlier submissions, but not accepted it especially in view of  issues involving allotment of candidates to different  Zones being made by SSC, who have very serious reservations on dispensing with the condition precedent  of completion of probation to consider any such application for transfer. However, on our repeated requests,  the Member(P&V) relented and agreed to reconsider the entire  issue. We have accordingly resubmitted our representation.

     Further, the issues of divergent practices being followed in working hours of different Air Cargo Complexes (point concerning ACC Bangalore particularly raised by the Karnataka Circle of the AICEIA ),  problems faced by Inspectors assigned duties to exercise  physical control over cigarette factories etc.  (points raised by Chandigarh and Indore units of  AICEIA) too were highlighted in the meeting. 

    

       Hearing in  the  case  seeking  notional fixation of pay of Inspectors wef  1.1.1996   in Mumbai CAT was fixed for last month,  but it was adjourned in view of the appeal in High Court of Bombay in the case on same issue  on which litigation was  successfully initiated by IT Assn. coming up for hearing on 23.01.2013. The next hearing for our case in CAT is scheduled for 7^th Feb’13.

Ajit Kumar K G 

Secretary General