IAS, IPS officers associations condemn Himachal minister Vikramaditya’s comment

The Himachal IAS and IPS officers associations have condemned PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh’s statement on bureaucrats from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and have urged the state government to take appropriate steps to safeguard the dignity, morale and neutrality of the officers serving in the state. The IPS officers association has requested the government to take serious note of the issue and not post any IPS with Vikramaditya Singh.

In a statement issued here today, the IAS officers association said that while it fully respects the prerogative of elected representatives to hold opinion and to ensure accountability in governance, public statements singling out officers on the basis of their state of origin are inappropriate and risk causing avoidable harm to the morale and neutrality of the civil services.

“Public remarks that attribute administrative shortcomings to the regional origin of officers undermine the foundational spirit of the All India Services… Such generalisations can inadvertently erode public confidence in institutions and adversely affect the effective functioning of the administration,” the association said.

The IPS officers association, meanwhile, have expressed deep anguish and serious concern over the statement “that tends to create an artificial and undesirable divide between Himachali and non-Himachali officers serving in the state”.

The association further said that it was of the view that any public statement which directly or indirectly questions the intent, commitment or legitimacy of a section of officers on the basis of their origin is not only factually incorrect but also highly demoralising, divisive and detrimental to the harmonious working of the administration.