Transfer of employees: Admn secys and HoDs to ensure time bound compliance

Modifying its April 2017 instructions, the human resources department in a January 26 communication said the object of bringing the entire process of transfer within the ambit of e-governance envisaged in the 2017 instructions was not being realised in all departments

Realising that transfer and posting orders of government employees were not being implemented meticulously, the Haryana government on Friday ordered that the administrative secretaries and heads of the departments (HoDs) will be duty-bound to ensure time-bound compliance of preliminary and final transfer advisories.

Officials said that there were plenty of instances when a minister would sit over the transfer advisory issued by the chief minister’s office, showing complete disregard towards either implementing or objecting to the advisory. (HT File Photo)

Modifying its April 2017 instructions, the human resources department in a January 26 communication said the object of bringing the entire process of transfer within the ambit of e-governance envisaged in the 2017 instructions was not being realised in all departments. It further said that the matter has been reconsidered by the state government and certain procedural modifications were being made.

The communication said that it is directed that both the preliminary transfer advisory as well as final transfer advisory will invariably be sent through email to the concerned administrative secretary in case of Class 1 and 2 employees and to the concerned heads of the department (HoDs) in case of Class 3 and 4 employees who shall both be duty bound to ensure strict compliance within the prescribed time periods for implementation of every transfer advisory whether preliminary or final.

Officials said that there were plenty of instances when a minister would sit over the transfer advisory issued by the chief minister’s office, showing complete disregard towards either implementing or objecting to the advisory. “The idea is to cut down discretion exercised by the departments and ministers in transfers. Often transfer advisories issued by the CMO were deliberately kept pending. The issue was flagged by the CM during a recent meeting of the administrative secretaries also. So, a written reiteration was necessitated,’’ said an official.

As per the transfer procedure defined in the 2017 and 2024 instructions, the chief minister’s office (CMO) will issue preliminary transfer advisory to the department for transfers based on suggestions received from the department and suggestions directly received in CMO on administrative or other valid grounds. “The preliminary transfer advisory will be issued through email only just as final transfer advisory is issued. Transfer orders shall be issued within three working days by the department and copy of the order shall be provided to CMO through email. If no objection is received on a preliminary transfer advisory in the CMO within two days through email citing reasons for the same, the preliminary transfer advisory shall automatically get converted into the final transfer advisory and be implemented forthwith by the administrative secretary or the head of the department,’’ the instructions said.

However, if any objection is found by the department on policy or legal grounds regarding one or more transfers, the whole order shall be sent back to CMO within two days through email citing the reasons for the same. After considering the same, the final transfer advisory will be sent by the CMO through e-mail which will be implemented by the department immediately by issuing orders without fail, the instructions said.