ALL INDIA ASSOCIATION OF CENTRAL EXCISE
AND CUSTOMS GAZZETED EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
:RAJKOT UNIT
ALL INDIA CENTRAL EXCISE INSPECTORS
ASSOCIATION
:RAJKOT BRANCH:
F.No. AICEIA/RJT/Feb/2014 Date:
04.02.2014
To,
The
Chief Commissioner,
Central
Excise,
Ahmedabad.
Sir,
Sub :- Points
to improve administrative system for the betterment of the department and
welfare of the members of the core cadres, i.e. Supdt & Inspector :-
Your kind attention is invited
to both the Associations letter dated 04-02-2014. Further elaborating the
points, the members of the Association have suggested the following points to
improve the administrative mechanism and to bring transparency into it
executing apparatus. The members are of a
firm opinion that if the following points are considered it will substantially improve
the functioning of system and reduce the grievances of the
members. This will also result it into the increasing efficiency within the
department :
1. Powers
of the Sectoral Cadre Controlling Authority (CCA) of the Rajkot
sector is vested with the Commissioner C. Excise, Rajkot. But it is often observed that
Establishment orders are frequently being directly issued by your honors office
from Ahmedabad bye-passing the local CCA at
Rajkot. The
members of the Associations are of a
considered view that if the establishment orders pertaining to
officers of Rajkot
sector are issued by the jurisdictional cadre controlling
authority of the sector, it would be add
to fairness and justification to posting
order. Reason for it is very simple, the jurisdictional Cadre
Controlling Authority (in short, CCA), i.e. the
Commissioner, Central Excise, Rajkot
is better stationed to gauge the nuances and the nature of jurisdiction and its sensitivity
and more importantly antecedents of the officers. Moreover, the CCA may have a pending list of representation of reshuffling
with him, which can be adjusted only against such order. So the members of the Association feel that if the zonal authority at Ahmedabad
do not show excessive zealousness in
issuing orders directly at their end and permits the jurisdictional CCA to carry out the personnel management task entrusted him it would work well for improving the personnel management system being operated through the Transfer and
Posting Policy.
2. During
the course of the Restructuring, 2002, Bhavnagar Commissionerate was created.
Till date, we have failed to strike equilibrium with the staffing position
inspite of passage of over 12 years. In past, some occasions have arisen to set
right the disparity in staffing position,
but somehow the task of striking balance in
the staffing position of Bhavnagar Commissionerate has remained
elusive. It seems that opportunity is
again round the corner to solve the
staffing position imbroglio of the
Central Excise, Bhavnagar Commissionerate.
3 With
regret, it is to submit that administration does not adhere to the policy
framed by the administration itself. Recently while allocating the newly
recruited Inspectors to various Commissionerate, the administration has grossly
violated the existing policy. As per the existing Central Excise Policy, it is
clearly mentioned that that “ in allocation of officers amongst Rajkot, Bhavnagar
and Jamnagar Commissionerate, the administrative control shall continue to vest
with the Commissioner , Central Excise Rajkot-the cadre controlling Authority
of the sector”. However, in violation to the same, the Chief Commissioner’s
Office has directly posted 34 newly recruited Inspectors to Rajkot
Commissionerate and 37 Inspectors to Bhavnagar Commissionerate. Further, as per
the existing policy, the postings between Rajkot
and Bhavnagar Commissionerate are to be decided by the Committee comprising of
Commissioner, Central Excise, Rajkot and
Commissioner, Central Excise, Bhavnagar.
These guidelines have not been followed while allocating the newly recruited
Inspectors.
4 New
batch of inspectors are to join the department. To solve the problem the
Association would like to suggest that in light of guidelines of transfer
policy the newly recruited Inspectors may first be posted to Rajkot Central
Excise Sector and further as per para 4 (ii) of the existing transfer policy
newly recruited Inspectors may be posted to Bhavnagar Central Excise,
Commissionerate in substitute against the officers who may be transferred from
Bhavnagar Commissionerate to Rajkot Commissionerate i.e. to their parent
Commissionerate. By posting such newly recruited officers would help to have a
permanent strength of Inspectors in Bhavnagar Commissionerate.
5 By
doing so the department will be saving lacs of rupees in form of TTA being wasted
by way shuffling the officer already working in Rajkot
to Bhavnagar
and posting newly joined inspectors in Rajkot Commissionerate. To consider that
the newly recruited inspectors are not competent to handle the work of office,
would tantamount to making mockery of the entire selection procedure,
leading selection of the inspectors. Even
empirical evidences have shown that newly recruited officers have proved
themselves and have given good performance even in the field of Audit,
Range offices and other sections.
6 Sir,
if we fail to grab the opportunity this time around, the situation may worsen further, when we will give birth two more
commissionerates, in form of Audit and Gandhidham Commissionerate within this
sector. Your honor is well aware of a wide sprawling jurisdiction of Saurashtra and Kutch which is as
wide as 800 kms. from one point to
another. We understand that transfers
are necessary evils. In the existing policy also the officers are being shunted
from one place to another even before
completion of the stipulated station
period. The officers are being shunted to Customs formation or to Bhavnagar
Commissionerate or are being sent to Gandhidham under compulsion. Our members
considered themselves as duty bound and are accepting posting at far flung
remote places even before completion of their stipulated period at one station. So, when the members of the Associations demonstrate their positive disposition, it is a bounden duty of
the administration to reduce the scale of displacement amongst staff members.
This will go a long way in reducing the hardship of the members and the department will be spared of needless expenditure.
7 Sir,
it would be hard to find any officer who has not suffered displacement owning
to rigourous nature of jurisdiction and peculiar circumstances prevailing in
the Rajkot Commissionerate, before completion of the stipulated station period.
So the members of associations are not
of ‘immobile’ mindset, that they are not ready to leave station, come what may,
like their counterparts in other
commissionerates. History of posting of any officer of Rajkot Commissionerate is testimony to above claim of the Association. There
would hardly any officer who have not seen four or more stations in their
career. So in the interest of the staff
members of the Association, and to reduce the displacements of the staff, it is
requested your honor to adhere to the policy and directly post maximum number
of newly recruited inspectors to Bhavnagar Commissionerate.
8 At
present the officers whose children are studying in standard XII are not
disturbed by way of Annual transfer. In Gujarat
Higher Secondary Education Board. in case of science stream importance has not
been restricted to standard XIIth and as they have divided the Higher Secondary
education in four semesters and consolidate marks sheet is given for all four semesters.
Semesters exams are also conducted by the Board only. The members of Associations feel that relaxation to those
officers whose children are appearing in Higher Education Semester examination may
also be granted. It is also requested to extend this relaxation for Xth Board
examination.
9 Before
two / three month your honour’s office sought the names of ranges or any other
formations which needs to be declared as
‘non sensitive postings’. Associations have already given the feedback on the
subject matter, but till date nothing is
heard from the side of management. So it would be better if the decision is taken to re-categorize the postings as non-sensitive or sensitive in the altered scenario, prior to AGT, 2014.
10 SEZ
postings are now encadred post of the C. Excise jurisdictional Commissionerate.
To avoid undue midterm shuffling and to avoid the disputes of eligibility the transfer and posting may be done at the
time of AGT only. Your honour may use your one time discretion to extend the
period up to AGT and solve the problem forever.
11 As
mentioned above SEZ posting is a encadred and posting order are issued just
like routine posting order of the commissionerate. So whenever a list is
prepared for Customs or Bhavnagar Commissionerate, the names of the officers
working at SEZ should also be included like any other officers working in the
Commissionerate. No special privilege may be given to the officers working in SEZ for granting deemed exclusion from the
queue of Customs formation or Bhavnagar Commissionerate at the time of AGT.
Otherwise, the officer will runaway to SEZ posting to escape and circumvent his
turn to Bhavnagar Commissionerate or Customs formation. So as per the policy their name should also be considered for
any due routine posting and treated as any other posting of the Commissionerate.
12 On
promotion the officers are resuming at the CCO’s office, Ahmedabad. Till his
final posting order is issued he has to sit ideal in anticipation. Sometimes
this sedentary period last for a couple
of months. This is a gross wastage of
human resources at Govt. cost. Last
three Hon’ble Chief Commissioners have principally
agreed to allow the promoted officer to resume the duty at the place of working
at his parent commissionerate. But till date no instructions have been issued in
this regard to put end to this unwarranted
and wasteful system. Your good office is
again requested to issue specific instructions in this regard, as soon as
possible.
13 Members
of Association have also raised points that sometimes the willingness for a particular
deputation posting is not forwarded citing reason of shortage of staff. In past also the same
complaint was made to your good office that due to administrative ground no
officer should be deprived of his right to get exposure to new kind of work at
deputation posting. Your office has issued the instructions that in no case the
willingness will be withheld. But once again we request your honor to instruct
your subordinates level officers to act in
line with the instructions issued in this regard and oblige our members
by forwarding their willingness.
14 In
Customs policy there is a clause that proportionate staff will be given by the
Central Excise Commissionerate, as per their sanctioned strength of that Commissionerate.
This clause needs to be amended immediately. Instead of sanctioned strength it
should be working strength. This is quite logical demand of our members,
because we are usually running short of
staff and if staff is shifted as per ‘sanctioned strength’ more vacuum
will be created in the commissionerate where there is less ‘working strength’.
It is principally agreed by all the Establishment In-charge that proportionate
ratio of Sanctioned strength vis-a-vis Working strength will be maintained in
each Commissionerate. To continue with this principle, it would be more logical
to maintain proportionate the working strength in each commissionerate.
15 Members
have also raised point that the officers
posted to other commissionerate should
return after stipulated period. It is a existing policy that officers are
normally posted to other Commissionerate for a period of one/two years. However,
in some instances the officers are
desirous of overstaying in the other non-parent
commissionerate/formation. The management should issue instructions that in
such cases he will have to work in that Commissionerate/formation for at
least four years.
16 As
the members of Association have desired there
would be hardly any officers who would have enjoyed privilege of fully completing
the stipulated station period. But if at
all there are any such cases, he/she may be posted to Bhavnagar Commissionerate
to fill up deficiency in staffing position. If such officer is transferred
within the commissionerate, next year he would become due for Bhavnagar Commissionerate.
To avoid such multiple displacements and to save Govt. money such candidates
should be posted to Bhavnagar Commissionerate.
17 The
officer posted to Bhavnagar Commissionerate under compulsion under the Transfer and Posting Policy for a specific
period, when he returns back to his
parent Commissionerate, the period/tenure of non-sensitive posting should be
counted for posting him to a sensitive posting.
18 Sir,
I would like to assure your honor and it will be our humble attempt to convince
you sir that both the Associations and its members are here together for the sake of development of the department
and the country at large. We, the members of Associations, have always keep the
interest of the department on top
priority over our interest. We are not of the here with mindset that we want to
exploit the system for our vested interest. We have always moved and toiled
even in rough-seas for days together at our life’s risk. Few of our officers
have even sacrificed their lives while carrying out their duty. We always stand
by the administration to scale new heights and frontiers. But we fail to
understand as to why this simple TRUTH has
no takers. No one has taken the pain to go through feelings of members in form of our
representations. Hundreds of letters have been written to various authorities
but till date The Association have not received a single acknowledgement !!! We fail to understand, Whether the
departmental authority feels that the Association
as necessary evil or has become callous to their own staff. We always shout our
lungs out for the betterment of the
members of Associations to legitimately derive the solutions of the
problems from the management. However we
feel that our efforts so far gone all in vain. Officer are retiring with just a
single promotion in his / her entire carreer of
35 years !!! It is requested your honor to read carefully and
think over after reading this representation. What are we asking for ? Or has enough or due been given to our cadres.
19 The
Transfer and Posting Policy has been framed for the sake of smooth administration, and it is
humble request of the members of the Associations to adhere to the existing policy. We have deep faith and are sure that policy
would be followed in the letter and spirit.
20
It is our moral responsibility to request you to go by the letter and spirit of the policy. So the members of the Associations have
all resolved that till we get the Acknowledgement from your honour we will continue
to demonstrate our feeling in different ways without hampering the work and
interest of the department. The programmes for manifestation of feelings will be in the following manner:-
1. 04.02.14 to 07.02.14 Will wear Black badge/ribbon.
2. 10.02.14 to 12.02.14 Lunch hour
demonstration.
3. 13.02.14 to 14.02.14 Before and After Office
hour DHARANA.
4. 17.02.14 to 21.02.14 Relay fasting.
Sir,
Associations assure your honour that this is not a pressure technique or
gimmick, but just a spontaneous outburst
or cry. Just like a citizen charter we expects that our above demands/representation
be acted upon in the reasonable
timeframe.
PRAYER:
- 1. Please acknowledge our feeling point wise.
2. Before making any amendment the existing Transfer
and Posting policy a draft should be put
on the table to discussed threadbare
with both the Associations.
Yours faithfully,
(Dilip Pandya) (G.K.
Jhala)
Secretary Secretary
Copy to:
01
The
Member (P&V), CBEC, New Delhi.
02
The
Chief Commissioner of Customs, Ahmedabad Zone, Ahmedabad.
03
The
Commissioner of Central Excise, Rajkot
04
The
Commissioner of Central Excise, Bhavnagar.
05
The
Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Jamnagar.
06
Secretary
General, AIACEEGO.
07
Secretary
General, All India
Central Excise Inspectors Association.
