Amid row, transfer policy to be revised

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 20

The state government is bringing a revised transfer policy for its employees in the coming Cabinet meeting.

Due to confusion and violations of the basic guidelines on the transfer of employees and duration of their stay at one place by some of the departments, the Chief Minister is learnt to have issued guidelines to bring transparency in the transfer policy. Before the deadline for general transfers ended on July 16, a number of departments have undertaken large-scale transfers.

The issue of reframing the policy cropped up after the new Education Minister OP Soni reportedly pointed out anomalies in the transfer policy that got approved by his predecessor Aruna Chaudhary in March this year. As a result, the policy had been kept in abeyance. There was strong opposition from the teaching fraternity to the clause that puts a seven-year cap on stay in a school, besides other issues.

Amid confusion, the recent transfers in the Forest, Revenue and Irrigation departments raised eyebrows. In case of the Forest Department, the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently stayed large-scale transfers of Range Officers, Deputy Range Officers, Senior Foresters and Foresters as the orders were violation of the transfer policy for 2018-2019 that mandates that no employee would be transferred before the completion of three-year service at the place of posting.

Similar complaints have been received from the Revenue Department where the minister has transferred Tehsildars. In some of the cases, the officials have been transferred within a year of their posting. A Cabinet minister said with the Parliamentary elections a few months away, it was becoming difficult for them to refuse the transfer requests.

A senior government functionary said for the year 2018-2019, different departments were asked to frame their guidelines keeping in view the guidelines issued by the Personnel Department. Some of the departments did approach the Personnel Department with their amendments, but confusion prevailed.

What Personnel Department says

The group A and group B employees in their total service will not be allowed to remain posted in a particular district for more than 15 years. Such employees will not be allowed to remain posted at one station for five or more consecutive years. After three years of posting at one station, such employees will have to take two years of cooling period before being posted back at the same station.