Anil Vij writes to Manohar Lal Khattar for ACS-Home’s extension

Geetanjali Gayatri

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Chandigarh, May 29

Two months before he is due to retire, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajeev Arora has been recommended for an extension by Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij.

Sources said that the minister who also holds the portfolio of Health and Home has, in a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, recommended one-year extension to Arora on grounds that he has performed well as ACS Home and Health.

Job ‘well done’

• Vij’s letter appreciates Arora’s performance in handling the three phases of Covid as the ACS (Health) while also stating that he ably handled the long-drawn farmers’ agitation in Haryana as ACS (Home).
• An officer can be given three months extension post-retirement by the state government. There is a provision to extend this by another three months or beyond after the Centre’s approval.

The letter appreciates Arora’s performance in handling the three phases of Covid as the ACS (Health) while also stating that he ably handled the long-drawn farmers’ agitation in Haryana as ACS (Home).

Given his “satisfactory” handling of the two situations, the Home Minister has made out a case of granting him extension for one year when he superannuates. Arora retires on July 31.

Interestingly, according to the information available, an officer can be given three months extension post-retirement by the state government. There is a provision to extend this by another three months or beyond after the approval of the Centre.

There are examples where officers at the Centre have been given extension for two years and even four years.

According to the information available, the Home Minister wrote this letter earlier last week. Incidentally, it was only last week that the office of the Chief Secretary took out a circular saying that officers who are due to retire in two months time should refer cases of procurement, transfer, promotion and the like to their link officer.

Sources said that this circular was issued on May 26 and clearly states that all decisions on these issues should not be taken by the officer superannuating in two months time unless they are directly reporting to the Chief Minister or ministers. All such work was earlier referred to the Chief Secretary.

Three senior officers of the 1987 batch are due to retire in the next two months. While ACS (Development and Panchayat) Amit Jha will retire on June 30, ACS (Irrigation and Town and Country Planning Department) Devender Singh and ACS (Home and Health) Rajeev Arora will retire on July 31.