Chandigarh, August 7
The Punjab Government has put a blanket ban on promotions. A directive in this connection has been issued by the Personnel Department to all Financial Commissioners, Administrative Secretaries and others concerned.
The government has directed the officers concerned not to hold any meeting of the departmental promotion committees (DPCs) till further orders. The circular sent to various departments says that “it has been decided by the government that no meeting of DPCs should be held till further orders. However, wherever the courts have directed for holding such meetings, the orders of the courts should be obeyed.” The letter has been issued by the Special Secretary, Personnel Department.
The order has created a flutter among the employees. Reacting to the order, Mr K.K. Jindal, General Secretary of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union, said it was another anti-employee step taken by the state government. At least 600 persons were awaiting promotions in the ministerial cadre alone, he added. The number of such employees in other cadres was quite high, he added.
The government order would hit hard those who are on the verge of retirement and awaiting promotions. “It would be most unfortunate for them to retire without promotion even after several years of government service,” said Mr Jindal.
What made the government to take such a decision was a most puzzling question. An item on regular holding of DPC meetings to order promotions was put on the agenda of the meeting held on July 27 with representatives of various employees unions by the Punjab Chief Secretary, Mr Y.S. Ratra, Rural Development Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and others. It was another matter that the meeting ended without taking up a single item that was on the agenda as the representatives insisted on the presence of the Chief Minister at the meeting.
The item was put on the agenda at the behest of various employees unions which had accused the government of delaying promotions in various departments on one pretext or the other.
Mr Jindal alleged that the government had started playing another mischief with employees. The government wanted that in the case of class I promotions,
the employee concerned should at least secure 12 marks on the basis of their past five annual confidential reports which were graded as outstanding, good, average etc. In the case of Class II posts, the employee concerned should secure 10 marks. “We are totally opposed to such criteria,” said Mr Jindal. All employees due for promotion should be promoted if they had not been conveyed any “bad” confidential report in the preceding five years of service.
He said owing to the number formula, certain bosses had started exploiting their subordinates. “Even money has started playing a role in the writing of such reports,” he alleged. This promotion formula should be immediately withdrawn. The merit-cum-seniority formula of promotion should be applicable only to officers in the scale of Rs 13,000 or above.
