Friday, March 18, 2016

DAMOCLES' SWORD...


बंद कर दिया सांपों को सपेरे ने यह कहकर,
अब इंसान ही इंसान को डसने के काम आएगा !

गिद्ध भी कहीं चले गए, लगता है उन्होंने देख लिया,
कि इंसान हमसे अच्छा नोंचता है !

कुत्ते कोमा में चले गए, ये देखकर,
क्या मस्त तलवे चाटता है इंसान !

कोई टोपी तो कोई अपनी पगड़ी बेच देता है,
मिले अगर भाव अच्छा, अफ़सर भी कुर्सी बेच देता है !

"वक्त" और "दौलत" के बीच का सबसे बड़ा अंतर...
आपको हर "वक्त" पता होता है कि आपके पास कितनी "दौलत" है,
लेकिन आप यह बिल्कुल भी नही जानते कि आपके पास कितना ''वक्त" है .....!!!

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Across the country, since last two months, a fear psychosis has been created in the name of Rule 56 (j). In several meetings with the association members, it has been brought to our notice that it is being used as a threat and as a means to brow-beat the subordinate officers.
In our zone too, a Review Committee meeting was held to cull out the names of officers, from Grp ‘B’ & ‘C’ cadre, for consideration under Rule 56 (j). It appears that some names have been identified and the same have been taken up for further processing. It is learnt that in the Mumbai Cadre Controlling zone, the names of 3 Superintendents, 1 Inspector, 1 AO, 2 Sepoys and 1 Driver have been identified and are being issued notices for compulsory retirement under Rule 56 (j) within 3 months from the date of receipt of notice.
Rule 56 (j) can be invoked against an employee only on doubtful integrity and not merely on ineffectiveness. But in certain cases where public interest is adversely affected due to rendering of ineffective service, this may invite action under the said Rule.
After receiving the notice, officer has the right to know the ground of the invocation of said Rule and whether principles of natural justice have been followed. It has been brought to our notice that different controlling authorities have issued the Notices under Rule 56 (j) which are not uniform in nature.  The officer has an opportunity to represent to the Representation Committee, as per OM dated 01.03.2016 which is annexed herein.  However, the names of officers constituting the Representation Committee has not yet been finalised.
The compulsory retirement order will be effective after completion of three months from the date of service of the Notice and not from the date of disposal of the officer’s representation by the Representation Committee. Further, this process of identification of officers to be considered for compulsory retirement under Rule 56 (j) will be repeated every three months in a financial year. In several other places across the country similar exercise is on and it is to be found out as to whether there is uniformity in approach or there are infirmities. CESA-Mumbai hopes that the said Rule is not used as a tool for vendetta. The spirit i.e. integrity, non-discrimination should be kept uppermost while deciding the names for compulsory retirement.
As far as identifying names of officers in Group ‘A’ for consideration under Rule 56 (j) is concerned, it is learnt that data relating to them is still only in compilation mode.  


The details of Rule 56 (j) is as under :-

Instructions regarding premature retirement of Central Government servants:
I.          Rule Position

(1) In accordance with the provisions of Fundamental Rule 56 (j) the appropriate authority has the absolute right to retire, if it is necessary to do so in public interest, any Government employee as follows:-
(i)         If he is group ‘A’ or ‘B’  service or post and has entered Government service before attaining the age of 35 years, after he has attained the age of 50 years;
(ii)        In any other case, after he has attained the age of 55 years, provided that in the case of a Group ‘D’ official, such action can be taken if he entered service after 23rd July, 1966.
In other words, a Government servant belonging to Groups ‘A’, and ‘B’ who has entered Government service after attaining the age of 35 years, and officers belonging to Groups ‘C’ and ‘D’ can be prematurely retired after they have attained the age of 55 years with the exception of Group ‘D’ officials, who entered service on or before 23rd July, 1966.
(2)       In addition, a Government servant in Group ‘C’ service or post who is not governed by any pension rules, can also be retired after he has completed thirty years’ service under FR 56 (l)
(3)       Identical provisions exist in Article 459 of the Civil Service Regulations.
(4)       Provisions also exist in Rule 48 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, for the retirement of a Government employee by giving him three months’ notice, if it is necessary to do so in public interest, after he has completed 30 years of qualifying service for pension. In other words, a Government employee may belong to Groups ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ can be prematurely retired, irrespective of the age at the appropriate time, after he has completed 30 years of qualifying service.
(5) Provisions exist in the relevant rues which confer reciprocal right on Government employee to seek voluntary retirement after he has attained the age of 50/55 years or has completed 30 years of qualifying service / service, as the case may be. 

 II. Criteria, Procedures and Guidelines
In order to ensure that the powers vested in the appropriate authority are exercised fairly and impartially and not arbitrarily, it has been decided to lay down the procedures and guidelines for reviewing the cases of Government employees covered under the various aforesaid rules as mentioned below –
(1)  The cases of Government Servant covered by FR 56 (j) or Rule 48 of the CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972 or CSR 459 (h) should be reviewed six months before they attain the age of 50/55 years or complete 30 years of services / 30 years of qualifying service, whichever occurs earlier.

(2)  Committees shall be constituted in each Ministry / Department / Office as shown in Annexure-I to which all such cases shall be referred for recommendation as to whether the officer concerned should be retired from service in the public interest or whether he should be retained in service.  

Constitution of Screening Committee

For preparing a comprehensive brief on each officer, for being placed before Review Committee, each Ministry / Department may consider the setting up of an internal Screening Committee to assist the Reviewing Committee, consisting to the extent possible of those senior officers who have had occasion to know about the work and conduct of the officer proposed to be re-reviewed. Such Screening Committee may be constituted for each different rank or each different functional area, as may be necessary or convenient. These may be set up as standing arrangement and a Screening Committee is not to be constituted as a separate ad hoc measure, only at the time when the case of a particular officer is taken up for consideration of premature retirement.  

(3)  The criteria to be following by the Committee in making their recommendations would be as follows:-
(a)  Government employees whose integrity is doubtful, will be retired.
(b)   Government employees who are found to be ineffective will also be retired. The basic consideration on identifying such employee should be the fitness / competence of the employee to continue in the post which he is holding.
(c)  While the entire service record of an Officer should be considered at the time of review, no employee should ordinarily be retired on the grounds of ineffectiveness if his service during the preceding 5 years or where he has been promoted to a higher post during that 5 year period, his service in the highest post has been found satisfactory.
(d)  Consideration has ordinarily to be confined to the preceding years or to the period in the higher post, in case of promotion within the period of 5 years, only when retirement is sought to be made on grounds of ineffectiveness. There is no such stipulation, however, where the employee is to be retired on grounds of doubtful integrity.
(e)  No employee should ordinarily be retired on grounds of ineffectiveness, if, in any event, he would be retiring on superannuation within a period of one year from the date of consideration of his case.
 
Ordinarily, no employee should be retired on grounds of ineffectiveness if he is retiring on superannuation within a period of one year from the date of consideration of the case, on compassionate grounds. While this will continue to be applicable, it is clarified that in a case where there is a sudden and steep fall in the competence, efficiency or effectiveness of an officer, it would be open to review his case for premature retirement in accordance with the orders.
 
 
 
Further details are available in Establishment and Administration Manual, Swamy's Publication.
 
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Thursday, March 17, 2016

GUILTY SHOULD NOT SPARED...

                                                                                                            Ref: CESA/10/2016
Date: 15-Mar-2016.

Shri Piyusha Patnaik,
Chief Commissioner,
Service Tax Zone, Mumbai.

Respected Sir,
                        Sub : Request for action against Shri R. P. Khandelwal, for causing
mental tension & harassment, leading to the sad & sudden
demise of Shri R. S. Phadke, Superintedent, ST-III – Reg.

This is to bring to your kind notice, that on the fateful day i.e. on 18-Feb-2016, when Shri Phadke, Supdt. passed away, you were out of station and on being informed about the same, you were considerate enough to have sent your officers to the residence of the bereaved family, the very next day. On your joining, you have personally visited the residence of the bereaved family. The anger in the office is palpable. 
The officers of ST-III had met you in person, during the 1st week of Dec-2015, and complained about the bad attitude & mis-behavior of Shri Khandelwal towards the subordinate officers. Thereafter, on 17-Feb-2016, the undersigned had personally met Shri Khandelwal and informed him about the unacceptability of his obnoxious behavior, manner of shouting, using a threatening tone towards his subordinates and about his use of foul language. He was apologetic at that point of time, however, the damage was already done & the next day morning the unfortunate incident happened. This increased the anger among the officers against Shri Khandelwal’s attitude. The submissions in person dt. 03-Mar-2016 is annexed.
            To pay homage as well to lodge an unusual protest, a Blood donation camp was organized on 03-Mar-2016 and on the same day, the Hon’ble CC, ST Zone, Mumbai, was requested to hold an enquiry to ascertain the cause of the death of Shri Phadke as well as several other officers’ health condition due to constant harassment by Shri Khandelwal and to transfer Shri Khandelwal from an executive post to non-executive post till the completion of the enquiry. When any person in an organization does not follow the norms of decency and decorum, it will be prudent not to post that person in a key post. It may also be noted that the organization is always bigger than the individual and his nature of being indispensable needs to be curbed, so that such type of behavior does not spread within the organization like a virus.
            A Central Excise employee of Hyderabad expired on 08-Mar-2016, due to heart attack because of constant harassment by a mischievous AC. The same was represented by the CE Association, Hyderabad and thereafter a police complaint was also lodged by the family member. The said AC was immediately transferred out of the Division (Copy enclosed).
            Shri Phadke was a simple officer and did not possess ill-gotten wealth like Shri Kahndelwal. Even the expenses towards the hospitalization and last rites were borne by his close childhood friends. Human lives cannot be treated as a sporting item and one cannot play with it. A loss of life has a cascading effect on the family – even they cannot fathom the depth of the loss… For the sake of amity and the cause of humanity, it is better that a person who caused it to be removed / transferred.
            Sir, the working atmosphere has already been vitiated and the entire staff including Asstt. Commissioners, has unanimously requested for a transfer out of ST-III Commissionerate when they personally met you on 23-Feb-2016 and again on 03-Mar-2016. It is once again requested that Shri Khandelwal be shifted out of ST-III Commissionerate and to institute an enquiry about his obnoxious behavior under the CCS Rules. Delay in taking action against him is further emboldening him !!
Further, it may be ensured that he is not allowed to write any Confidential Reports of any officers working under him, either as Reporting Officer or as Reviewing Officer. Justice is awaited from you. We cannot be silent spectators and if action is not taken, then the matter will be further taken up with the highest authorities including PMO, Human Rights Commission, etc.
Thanking you,
                                                                       Yours sincerely,
Encl :
a) Submission in person dated 03-Mar-2016.
b) Blood Donation camp held on 03-Mar-2016.
c) Copy of Transfer order dated 09-Mar-2016 of AC, C.Ex., Hyderabad.
            A.K. SASMAL
General Secretary

 Copy to :
1)  Shri K K Sharma, Member (ST), CBEC, New Delhi – For kind information please.
2)  Shri B K Bansal, Zonal Member, CBEC, New Delhi – For kind information please.
3)  Shri S C Varshney, CCA & Chief Commr., MZ-I - For kind information please.
4) Commissioner, ST – I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, ST-Audit-I, II, III – For kind information.
5)  Shri Ravi Mallick, Secretary General, AIACEGO, New Delhi.

 

Submission in person by the delegation on 03-Mar-2016.

To pay our respectful homage, as well as a mark of protest, a blood donation camp was held at Lotus Building where late Shri Phadke was posted.

The response was overwhelming and the anger among the officers was clearly visible.

Shri Piyusha Patnaik, Chief Commissioner, Mumbai Service Tax Zone & Shri M. R. R. Reddy, Commissioner, Service Tax-IV, Mumbai, came and acknowledged the cause.

Thereafter, the delegation of CESA Mumbai and IRS (IDT) Promotee officers met Shri Piyush Patnaik, Commissioner, Service Tax-III who is also holding the charge of Chief Commissioner, Service Tax Mumbai Zone.

It was conveyed to the Hon'ble CC that the behavior, attitude and conduct of Shri Khandelwal, Additional Commissioner, Service Tax-III was just like a dictator and he treats his subordinates including Assistant / Deputy Commissioners like slaves. He is not honest and his greed has no limits and this emboldens him to treat and behave with subordinate staff the way he desires. In CC's absence, as he is holding both the charges and is not able to concentrate on the affairs of Service Tax III Commissionerate, Shri Khandelwal's behaviour is just like as if he is the Commissioner of Service Tax-III. As he has managed his earlier postings in Mumbai Customs, JNPT, Kandla & Mumbai airport, he thinks of himself as if he is the son of Kubera. Shri Kandelwal humiliates and misbehaves with the newly promoted ACs before the subordinate officers, citing incompetence, is a daily routine. He himself sends bundles of files relating to TDS matter to another officer posted outside the Commissionerate, seeking his advice…..He is not bound by the tone, tenor and accent of decent language, crosses all limits and does not acknowledge the presence of lady officers around while using foul language.

Death is inevitable, but the way Shri Phadke had to end his life was not deserved by an uniformed officer with a long and unblemished service record. The mental pressure was so much, and the thought of facing an abusive officer like Shri Kandelwal again when he reaches office was too much to bear. This was narrated to his close friend a day before his death. It was his goodness that before he left the world, that he did not name any one in his last note. But everyone in the office as well as his family knew what and who made him to take such an unfortunate and drastic step. Mr. Khandelwal has now became infamous & is now a household name in all the officers’ families as being a monster and his terror tactics make most of the officers sick, both physically and mentally.

In ancient times, after seeing the dead bodies scattered around the battlefield, the Great Ashoka became Chanda–Ashoka to Dharma-Ashoka but Shri Khandelwal has or shows no remorse, no regret in losing one of the officers under him.

As your goodself is gentle, simple and honest person in nature, and unable to give your full attention to the affairs of Service Tax-III, Shri Khandelwal is taking advantage and misusing/abusing his position and the trust reposed in him by you.

After the incident, as the entire staff of the Service Tax Commissionerate do not want any other person to become a victim of his unprofessional behaviour, it is unanimously felt that Shri Khandelwal should be immediately transferred out and an enquiry be initiated into the untimely death of Shri Phadke, and to ascertain the facts leading to his unfortunate death. His behavior and approach is notorious and is known to all his past superiors. Even Shri Sushil Solanki, M. R. R. Reddy & Prashsant Kumar, our earlier Commissioners, knew this and had transferred him out from their charge.

His continuation in the Service Tax will dent the image of the Commissionerate as well as your personal reputation which has been nurtured and built over the decades and will adversely affect the morale of all the Departmental officers.

Lastly it was appealed to the Hon'ble CC to take exemplary action against Shri Khandelwal and to hold an enquiry before 18.03.2016 (completion of one month after Shri Phadke's death).
 
Copy of Transfer Order issued by Hyderabad Commissionerate
 
 
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Monday, March 14, 2016

ACTION ON AIRPORT / TRANSFERS TO LTU & ST

                                                                                                 Ref: CESA/09/2016
                                                                                                            Date: 14-Mar-2016.
Shri S. C. Varshney,
Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs,
Central Excise Zone-I, Mumbai.

Respected Sir,

Sub : Posting of Officers to LTU and Service Tax Zone – reg.
            As per the Transfer & Posting Policy, the rosters are being maintained for LTU as well as Service Tax Zone. The officers posted in LTU have already completed their tenure of two years but due to lack of repatriation orders they have not been rotated. 
            Similarly in Service Tax, Superintendents are relieved to join M & P and Pune Zone. In their place, officers from Mumbai Zone-II are not yet posted. Thus, the very purpose of maintaining the roster is defeated by the same administration who deviates from its own policy, causing resentment. In Service Tax, workload is already too high as well as revenue stakes. Officers are having additional charges without any supporting staff which causes physical & mental pressure and they are not able to concentrate as needed. Lapses are bound to happen & mistakes inevitable. Can the administration take these aspects into consideration and condone the same ?
            This creation of artificial shortage of staff by the administration by not posting the officers, is aggravating the work pressure further. Hence it is requested to immediately issue the Orders in respect of both the formations, namely posting of officers to LTU & Service Tax Zone, Mumbai, without any further delay.

Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
 

A.K. SASMAL
                                                                                                           General Secretary

=================================================================


Ref: CESA/08/2016
Date: 14-Mar-2016.

Shri S. C. Varshney,
Principal Chief Commissioner of Customs,
Central Excise Zone-I, Mumbai.

Respected Sir,

Sub:    Filling up of vacancies of Air Customs Officers & Air Customs Officers at CSI Airport, Mumbai – Extension of last date for submission of willingness - Reg.

Your kind attention is invited to the letter dated 02.02.2016 of Principal Commissioner of Customs (General) Mumbai, addressed to all Central Excise Cadre Controlling authorities, requesting them to depute officers to CSI Airport, Mumbai (Copy enclosed).

With reference to the above, the last date for submitting the “Willingness/Option” for CSI Airport, Mumbai was given as 11-Mar-2016.
            It was brought to our notice that the willingness/option for the same has not been circulated by various field formations including Service Tax Zone, M&P and other establishments where our officers are posted on loan basis.

            In view of the above it is requested to extend the last date by another two weeks from 11-Mar-2016 to 28-Mar-2016. Also, the Administration should ensure that the options received are complete in all respects, from the various formations, through proper channel, and the same is to be forwarded to CC Office for further disposal within the prescribed time limit.  
             Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,


A.K. SASMAL
                                                                                                               General Secretary
 
Copy to:  Chief Commissioner, Service Tax, Mumbai Zone, for kind information please.

Friday, March 11, 2016

LOYALTY OF THE PENGUIN... & THE MONKEY'S HEART...




Yesterday, the Hon’ble PM while interacting with the 167 IRS Probationers exhorted them to keep a sense of trust for the people of India in course of their work. The officer must feel that each and every citizen of this country is part of his family. If this spirit prevails, then the officers will be able to work with vigour and enthusiasm and even the question of exhaustion will not arise. He also expected from the civil servants a sensitive and humane approach.
The young batch of IRS Officers is fortunate to have interactions with the Hon’ble PM, who shares his views to inspire and guide to prove best civil servants to serve the people.
Alas, it appears that there was no one to guide the earlier batches of IRS officers as most of them are engrossed in their motivated activities. There is no sense, no human touch, no feelings, forget about remorse…
The employee who works under you never has felt that he is being treated like family. The incidence of ST-III and the untimely death of Supdt. Shri Phadke show the lack of actions leading to brewing of resentment amongst the staff. Days are not far ahead if the attitude / approach do not change then the staff will also react like...
the Aesop's fable - monkey who narrated sitting on the Crocodile's back " i do not carry my heart within but left it on the... 
CESA-Mumbai is posting an article about the gratefulness of a penguin who was rescued from certain death, which is eye-catching and touching…
Will our own administrations learn anything from advice of our Hon’ble PM… or the below mentioned article…

Penguin swims 5,000 miles every year for reunion with the man who saved its life


Today's most heartwarming story is brought to you from a beach in Brazil.

It's the story of a South American Magellanic penguin who swims 5,000 miles each year to be reunited with the man who saved his life.

Retired bricklayer and part time fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza, 71, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, found the tiny penguin, covered in oil and close to death, lying on rocks on his local beach in 2011.

Joao cleaned the oil off the penguin's feathers and fed him a daily diet of fish to build his strength. He named him Dindim.

After a week, he tried to release the penguin back into the sea. But, the bird wouldn't leave. 'He stayed with me for 11 months and then, just after he changed his coat with new feathers, he disappeared,' Joao recalls.

And, just a few months later, Dindim was back. He spotted the fisherman on the beach one day and followed him home.

For the past five years, Dindim has spent eight months of the year with Joao and is believed to spend the rest of the time breeding off the coast of Argentina and Chile.

It's thought he swims up to 5,000 miles each year to be reunited with the man who saved his life.

'I love the penguin like it's my own child and I believe the penguin loves me,' Joao told Globo TV. 'No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do. He lays on my lap, lets me give him showers, allows me to feed him sardines and to pick him up.

'Everyone said he wouldn't return but he has been coming back to visit me for the past four years. He arrives in June and leaves to go home in February and every year he becomes more affectionate as he appears even happier to see me.'

Biologist Professor Krajewski, who interviewed the fisherman for Globo TV, told The Independent: 'I have never seen anything like this before. I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well.

'When he sees him he wags his tail like a dog and honks with delight.

And, just like that, the world seems a kinder place again.

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