Are Not These Signs of Administrative Failure?

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Oddities of all hues are seen in the State administration, including the Secretariat. While some staff members avail earned leave on their own, some are found authorized absent for a long time. If some staff members sit idle at home without joining for duty at their places of promotion postings, some others are on leave but their leave is not counted in their respective accounts. Yet there are some employees who draw salaries without having to do any duty.

* Additional Chief Secretary VS Bhaskar was relieved from all departments he had been associated with in December 2018, and put on ‘compulsory wait’. However, his ‘wait’ hasn’t ended even today. He, however, is drawing his fat salary even as one of the mantras of financial rules is ‘no work no pay’. One has to rack his/her brains to ascertain as to who’s at fault. Is it not the fault in the system? He’s sitting right at home because he hasn’t been given any duty.

*A section of employees in the State Secretariat is infamous for playing duck and drakes with their leave. According to sources, they go on leave by giving their applications to their immediate bosses, says the superintendent. However, in some cases, such leave applications are not sent to the SAD (Secretariat Administration Department). Thus, their leave days are not counted in their respective leave accounts in the SAD. To keep such an unholy practice at bay, taking leave has been made online now. The SAD has to monitor leave of staff of all departments online. It seems, at least one of the holes has been plugged!

*According to sources, an officer, who happens to be the daughter of a politician, had been absent from duty without authority for long five years. Strangely enough, with the change of guards at Dispur, the officer joined her duty without having to explain for her long absence. If any officer is on authorized leave for a long time, he/she should be issued show-cause notices. If they do not respond to the notices, departmental proceedings should be initiated against them.

* Another lady officer was on maternity leave. She, however, opted to not to join duty for long four years. She too joined her duty without having to explain for her unauthorized absence from duty.

*Another officer took to leave a few years back when he was transferred from his place of posting in a check gate. He returned just before his retirement and claimed all benefits.

*A senior officer said all such odds are happening because most of the officers are ignorant of rules mentioned in the service rules. He said that lack of monitoring by the authorities concerned has left everything in a mess. There’s none to see in many sections as to who has gone on leave, who is absent from duty without any authority, who has been placed under suspension and against whom departmental proceedings have been drawn etc.

Talking to The Sentinel, SAKP president Basab Chandra Kalita admitted such anomalies in the State Secretariat and district offices also. “However, the online system of leave will straighten things to a large extent. In fact, online leave should also be made compulsory in the district offices,” he said.

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