By B S Reporter
IAS officers of Kerala are vocal. They are known to raise their voice whenever they see the political dispensation doing against the service. This time the IAS Association of Kerala has opposed the frequent transfers of IAS officers from one department to another. The Association has written a letter the chief minister dissenting the practice of frequent transfers.
The letter says that such transfers are in violation of the rules provisioned in All India Services (AIS). They have also raised concerns about appointing officers of other services like IPS and IFS on the posts designated for IAS.
Reason to rue
The IAS Association objected transferring of at least 30 officers within months of their deployment. The association warned that instability in posting could have adverse impact on the government's functioning. The Association also demanded that the appointment and transfer of officer should be as per the recommendations of State Civil Services Board as mandated by the All India Services Act (1951). The Association complained that no meeting of the Board has been convened so far. The chief secretary is the chairman of the board.
V Venu, Kerala Chief Secretary and Chairman of State Civil Services Board
As per the Supreme Court directive, the appointment to a cadre or equivalent post should carried out for two years. And if an officer is transferred in between, the officer should be heard before the Board. If the cabinet or minister effects transfer of an officer before two years without the consent of the board, the minister or cabinet must specify the reasons behind overriding the board's recommendations.
Appointment of officers of other services on IAS designated posts
The IAS Association raised concerns about the appointment of other officials in IAS cadre posts, stating that such actions are in violation of the provisions of the Act. They also pointed out that even retired officials are being deployed in this manner, which is not good. The association demanded that this practice should be discontinued entirely.
According to the letter, the positions of Excise Commissioner and Transport Commissioner were originally designated for IAS officers. However, for several years, IPS officers have been appointed to these positions instead. Similarly, the posts of Institute of Management (IMG) and KILA Director were traditionally held by IAS officers, but recently, IAS officers have not been appointed to these roles. The letter highlighted these instances to emphasise the need for adhering to the proper cadre designations and appointments.
Personal staff of ministers influence administrative decisions
This is not for the first time Kerala IAS Association has voiced its dissent against the government. In the month of May this year, the Association has objected to the growing interference of the Private Secretary (PS) and Additional Private Secretary (APS) of ministers in the administrative matters.
“PS and APS who are generally of the rank of joint secretary try to supersede senior officers such as Additional Chief secretary, Principal Secretary and Secretary to push their agenda while implementing administrative decisions,” the Association said.
This has become a major hurdle as many important decisions are deliberately delayed despite being urgent. This is taking a huge toll on governance.
The Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan has assured the IAS officers that he had brought the issue to the notice of the Ministers.
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