Monday, May 26, 2014

Letter to CC, C.Ex., Ahmedabad requesting for issuance of AGT-2014 order.




ALL INDIA CENTRAL EXCISE INSPECTORS’ ASSOCIATION, RAJKOT BRANCH
 


F.No. AICEIA/RJT/1/2008                                               Date: 26.05.2014

To,
The Chief Commissioner,
Central Excise Ahmedabad Zone,
Ahmedabad.

Sir,

Sub:   Issuance of AGT 2014 orders - reg.

Sir, as your honour is already aware that the AGT 2014 orders were not issued as it was expected that the Cadre restructuring in CBEC is likely to be implemented in the month of May. The messages issued by the Chairman CBEC also informed that the notifications are expected to be issued by 23.05.2014. However the notifications are not issued and on other hand some order issued by the CBEC are also kept on hold. This gives an impression that the Cadre Restructuring process will be delayed.

Sir, Rajkot Sector comprises of three Commissionerates i.e. Central Excise Commissionerate Rajkot & Bhavnagar and Customs Preventive Commissionerate Jamnagar. The jurisdiction overseen by these Commissionerates is entire Saurashtra region. The distance from one end to other end of this region is more than 500 kms. And top of it, it boasts of very hostile and far-flung areas and vast coastline at inhospitable places where the Customs and Central Excise office are found dotted.

We are now in the last week of May and it is about time by which ideally the Annual General Transfer exercise should be over. During AGT inter-exchange or intra-exchange of the officers from one Commissionerate to another or within Commissionerate takes place. Owing to vastness of this jurisdiction, often the officers are required to shift their family and domicile, leaving little time to cope up with the situation. Shifting family and domicile accompanies with it many arduous hardship and tasks, which are not quite facile to manage. Admission for their kids/wards at a school/college, finding appropriate accommodation, getting utilities connections at a new place of posting, far away from their present posting, are some of the difficulties that stares at the officer in such event.   Under the given circumstances timely issuance of AGT orders assumes great importance and provides much needed succor to the officers.

Sir, the members of this Association are quite worried and anxious on this count and therefore we urge your kind honour to issue suitable directions to the Committee to issue the AGT orders for 2014 immediately and at least orders transferring officers to / from Customs by 31st May.

Furthermore, it is sincerely requested that as the annual general transfer orders are already over delayed leading to undue hardship to the officers affected, it is once again requested to issue the AGT-2014 orders as early as possible.

Thanking you in anticipation,

Yours faithfully,


(Dilip J. Pandya)
Secretary

Copy to : The Commissioner, Central Excise, Rajkot. (Chairman of the Committee) 

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Letter to CC, C.Ex. Ahmedabad reg. formulation of Transfer Policy.

::  ALL INDIA CENTRAL EXCISE INSPECTORS ASSOCIATION  ::
RAJKOT BRANCH  :

Date : 2nd May, 2014.
To                                                                          
The Chief Commissioner,
Central Excise,
Ahmadabad Zone

Sir,

Sub :  Formulation of transfer policy with respect to annual general transfer in the grade of inspectorsreg.

Kindly refer to letter F. No. II/03-01/CCO/2013 dt. 17.04.2014 issued by Additional Commissioner (P&V), CCO, Central Excise, Ahmedabad requesting the associations to apprise their views to the committee on the issue of transfer.

At the outset, we oppose any move to amend the existing policy which has been running smoothly. Instead of amending the policy, we recommend that the existing policy gets implemented in toto. In past also, we have repeatedly requested the administration to adhere the policy and also went for agitation programme when the administration grossly violated the existing policy. However, since we are called to offer our views, the same are mentioned hereunder ;

1.               Regarding categorization of each station and fixing of tenure, it is submitted that the tenure for each formation is already fixed under the existing policy. Only names of the station are to be categorized as Class A, B or C. However, the problem is that due to geographical position of Rajkot Commissionerate and considering the other policy parameters (i.e. Customs / Bhavnagar etc.), none of the officer is able to complete the station tenure as prescribed in the policy.

2.               Under the said letter, it is alleged that the staff once posted at Ahmedabad Sector and Rajkot Commissionerate does not want to move out of their stations and the staff posted at Bhavnagar get stuck there for longer periods / permanently. This allegation seems to be totally baseless so far as it relates to Rajkot Commissionerate as majority of the Inspectors  have to get transferred to either Customs or Bhavnagar prior to completion of their tenure at Rajkot.  It is also to submit that the jurisdiction of Rajkot Commissionerate is not confined to Rajkot city only but it is scattered the distance from one corner of the Commissionerate to the another one is approximately 300 kms. Moreover, we are also to perform our duties under the Customs charge (where none of the formations is located at Rajkot) and therefore no officer can stick to Rajkot city as alleged in the letter. Further, it is mentioned that the officers are stuck up at Bhavnagar Commissionerate. To the best of our knowledge, there is not a single transfer application pending with the administration wherein any officer who has completed 4 years has sought transfer to Rajkot Commissionerate. In contradiction to this, various orders issued by your good office would reveal that during last 2 years as many as 23 Inspectors have been transferred either to Ahmedabad or to other Commissionerates (i.e. inter Commissionerate transfer to other zones). Thus, the allegations mentioned in the letter are far from the truth.

3.               Over the years, the officers of Rajkot Commissionerate are filling up the vacancies of Bhavnagar Commissionerate resulting into disturbance in the education of their children, bearing the cost of double establishment etc. Adding fuel to the issue, Central Excise Commmissionerate, Gandhidham is likely to come into existence post cadre restructuring. Under these circumstances, we cannot bear any more displacement just for the cause of others. If at all any officer wishes to be transferred to Rajkot Commissionerate, he can only be accommodated against either fresh recruitee or fresh promotee officer as and when such situation arises.

4.               The said letter says that the officers of Bhavnagar Commissionerate may be posted to Rajkot/Ahmedabad on his “request”. If casual request of the officers is to be incorporated in the policy, then many other “request” from other Commissionerate must also be incorporated in the policy. Anyway, if the request is to be considered no substitute will be provided from Rajkot Commissionerate. 

5.               It is observed that frequent changes in the transfer policy are made every time at the time of Annual general transfer which is unwanted and undesired. This is nothing but the harassment being felt by the members, who are the hands of the department.

6.               Last but not the least, it is very humbly submitted that before making any amendment to the existing policy, the administration must specify a specific tenure for Rajkot station as well as Rajkot Commissionerate prior to which no officer is transferred to any other place outside Rajkot / Jamnagar / Gandhidham station under any policy.

7.               Lastly it is requested to provide an opportunity to this Association to be heard in person before implementing any amendment to the existing policy.

                                                                          Yours faithfully,




(D.J.PANDYA)

SECRETARY
INSPECTOR’S ASSOCIATION


Copy submitted to :          
1.       The Commissioner, Central Excise, Rajkot.
2.       The Commissioner, Central Excise, Bhavnagar