SPECIAL INFRASTRUCTURE CELL

Before Reorganization of the commissionerates, CESA requested to have an ADG, HRM office for Mumbai so that all the infrastructure related work can be processed smoothly and expeditiously as the Bombay is having acute shortage of  office Space as well as staff quarters. Board has ignored the request reason is best known to them as they do not want to de-centralize their authority, however CESA continues to strive for better infrastructure. Latest communication is as under:

Shri V. S. Krishnan

The Hon’ble Chief Commissioner,

Central Excise Zone I & Service Tax zone,

Mumbai.

Respected Sir,

            Sub:   Request for creation of infrastructure cell for the new Service Tax

                        Commissionerates and Audit Commissionerates – Reg.

            Consequent upon the implementation of the CR and reorganization of the Commissionerates of the zones in Mumbai, Trade notice was issued by the respective CC’s of Zone I and Zone II.  Accordingly new Commissionerates have been formed, i.e the two Service Tax Commissionerates have been split into 7 Service Tax Commissionerates and 3 ST-Audit Commissionerates.  Service Tax I and II Commissionerates are functioning on as and where is basis, without acquiring or occupying any new premises.  Transfer orders posting the officers to the newly formed ST Commissionerates have been issued.  The officers who have joined their new postings do not even have any place to sit.   

The space position in LTU, Mumbai, is also alarming and it has been aggravated further with the formation of new Mumbai LTU-Audit Commissionerate, which needs immediate attention for smooth Administration. 

            As per the requirement, excluding the present occupied space, we further require around 4.0 lakhs sq. ft approximately. We appreciate your constant monitoring and follow-up with the Board, due to which the proposal for acquiring Lotus building was sanctioned.  Even after considering the space which we will acquire through Lotus building, we still fall short of about 3.65 lakh sq. ft of space.

            Sir, the work-load of Service Tax is already beyond manageable levels and both the Commissioners, Shri. Sushil Solankhiji and Shri R. Sekharji, are somehow managing the show by putting in more hours over & above the office hours, even on weekly holidays and it would be unfair to expect them to spare any more time for additional infrastructure issues. Therefore, for the convenience of the staff, trade and administration, it is requested to form an Infrastructure Committee for identifying, processing & follow-up of infrastructure issues exclusively to cater to the requirement of present infrastructure requirements.

            The proposal to acquire the premises at AIR INDIA building for Service Tax and MTNL building at Borivali & Thane for Central Excise, Ist floor at ABHA building at Kalyan for Central Excise are still under process.  If all the proposals are centralized and monitored, then it will be easy to pass through all the formalities/checklist prescribed by the DGHRD and it will be easier to acquire them for our requirements. 

Sir, it will be worth mentioning, that after reorganization of the Commissionerates, we are striving to acquire new office premises, for their smooth functioning.  It is also true that we are one step behind, in looking for office premises.  We are several steps behind, in looking for accommodation for the officers i.e. staff quarters/transit accommodation.  In Mumbai, newly joined officers of any cadre, cannot afford to acquire rental premises, leave alone purchase/have their own house.  Thus they are solely dependent on Government quarters or rental premises.  The rent for residence, in Mumbai, is so high that they are forced to go to far off suburbs, which increases their commute time apart from causing inconvenience, which will compel them to leave this department for other departments/for inter Commissionerate transfers to their native place under some pretext or other.

            The speed of growth of Service Tax is beyond manageable limits and we cannot wait for the completion of the Suleiman Estate project at Wadala.  The construction at Suleiman Estate has not yet started and its completion is not visible in the near likely future. Hence the consolation or advice to accommodate in the said project, is a distant dream; moreover Service Tax and Central Excise are jurisdiction based and not like Customs which is port or place based.           

            Mumbai Zone II, Pune Zone and DGCEI have issued advertisements for office premises, for their infrastructure requirements.  Similarly, an advertisement can be placed in the magazines for our seven new Service Tax commissionerates, three Service Tax Audit Commissionerates & two Service Tax Commissioner (Appeals).  Unless work is specifically assigned to some officers and they made responsible, there will not be any improvement on the infrastructure front, & we will unfortunately end in blaming each other and the end result is that the Service Tax Commissionerates will remain in the same pathetic state of affairs.

            CESA expects the above suggestions be considered judiciously and acted upon expeditiously and will create a committee/cell exclusively for infrastructure. This request is in consonance with the instructions of the Director General of DGHRD, made under letter F No.: D.O.No.924/16/Hiring/Cadre Restructuring/HRD/2013 dated 1^st Oct. 2014. CESA will extend its fullest co-operation and render all sort of assistance in this regard. 

            Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

A.K. Sasmal

General Secretary

Copy to:

1.   Commissioner, Central Excise, Mumbai I, Thane I, Thane II, Mumbai IV, for kind information.

2.   Commissioner, Service Tax I/II/III/IV/V/VI/VII, for kind information.

3.   Commissioner, LTU, Mumbai, for kind information.