M A I N   N E W S

Punjab Chief Secy talks tough
Tells PCS members to behave as officers
P. P. S. Gill
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 18
Some plain speaking by Punjab Chief Secretary Y.S. Ratra at the meeting of the PCS (Executive) Officers’ Association here yesterday made many of them squirm in their seats.

Though the association President, Mr Jaswant Singh, had raised certain issues and demands, which weighed heavy on the minds of PCS officers, Mr Ratra gave a piece of his mind to the officers, bluntly telling them to “act and behave as such.”

According to informed sources, what had presumably irked the Chief Secretary was the manner in which IAS and PCS officers hankered after postings and transfers and sought to exert political pressure. There were occasions when as many as three ministers recommended three different names for just one post. In such cases, the best thing to do was to place under suspension all such officers, he is believed to have remarked.

He reportedly also reminded the association that both IAS and PCS are the “premier” services and their members should act like officers. His advice to the PCS officers was to be patient. Those who are good and make their mark, do get noticed and find good postings. The officers, wherever posted, must create work and adhere to work ethics rather than running after politicians for what has come to be known as “plum” postings.

Mr Ratra is reported to have assured that in all transfers and postings the criteria of senior and junior officers would be kept in view. He also referred to the PPSC job-on-cash scam and corruption in the administrative system. There apparently is much more corruption in the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board than even the PPSC.

Referring to the ongoing anti-corruption drive, the Chief Secretary, the sources said, remarked “What you see is only a tip of the iceberg. A lot more action will be seen in the coming days”.

Both IAS and PCS officers need to introspect and find out what has led to the “lowering down” of the prestige, competency and devotion to duty in the two services. The PCS (Executive) is still considered to be the “backbone” of the civil administration and as such it has to be straight and strong.

Earlier, the sources say, while discussing their problems, several PCS officers were sore that the association leaders had failed to “protect” individual officers, who had faced “humiliation” at the hands of the police or were being “victimised”. In fact, some officers even questioned the role of the association in respect of removal or reversion of PCS officers identified in the PPSC scam. “All cannot be termed tainted. And they were shunted out without giving any hearing”.

Some PCS officers said with the passage of time there was “diminishing role” of the civil administration (both IAS and PCS officers) over allied services. An SDM no longer writes his part of the annual confidential report of the subordinates of other departments in the field. The same was true of Deputy Commissioners vis-a-vis the police etc.

Some PCS officers wanted the association to take an “aggressive” stand on men and matters. The recent example of revenue officials was quoted to point out how their solidarity and threat to “expose” the police and bureaucracy holding “benami” properties did the trick to escape the vigilance net. The officers also wanted a share in the posts of Deputy Commissioner.