Pune, the 11th September, 2011
Dear Members,
Consequent upon the bitter experience our cadre had from the previous Cadre Restructuring and the subsequent suffereings faced till date, still, you all are aware that your Association is making all possible efforts to ensure that all the demands (pending as well as fresh) which are being pursued in an amicable manner sees some results. Though assurances and promises are being made by the officials in power, from time to time, none of them have been fulfilled in the way it is expected to be, and the same are being tackled quite insensitively.
Our Board is not taking any of the suggestions of this Association to address the inequalities and the sufferings meted out to our cadre, which is evident from the recent happenings on the Cadre Review front. Though this Association has given all possible justifications in support of its demands on various occasions, the Board is not willing to heed to any of them. Hence, the Association feels that it is duty bound to enlighten the common members who are the actual beneficiaries and sufferers in any given situation, about these facts, and it is only the members who are required to take a call on how to tackle the situation and to sit across on the discussion table alongwith the decision makers in the Board.
The Association is of the firm opinion that without a change in the hierarchical structure of the CAO, AO, DOS, the issue of anomaly in their grade pay cannot be addressed. Though efforts have been made to take up the issue with the Expenditure, the sincerity is missing from the Board, when compared to the manner in which it was attended to in respect of some other cadres. The step-motherly treatment is clearly visible in the manner in which things are being attended to.
The CAO DPC which was last held in 2007, is yet to take place and despite any number of visits, meetings and correspondences, the same is yet to take shape. Compare this with the enthusiasm with which the DPC for other Group ‘A’ Cadres are being held and orders issued, even if it is purely on Ad-hoc basis. Not only that, the Recruitment Rules in respect of CAO and AO were not notified/amended after the 5th CPC/Cadre review of 2002, while it is due for revision after 6th CPC. However, no interest whatsoever has been shown by the Board on any of these issues, despite repeated reminders and meetings.
Coming to the Cadre Review, despite our strong objections and repeated requests to not show the grade of DOS and STA together, the Board has proceeded to do so even in its latest correspondence. During the previous Cadre Restructuring too, a similar exercise was conducted by the Board by issuing letter dated 03.08.2001 whereby the salient features of Cadre Restructuring was displayed in a very cosmetic manner and which letter was debated upon and many in the Cadre started analyzing their respective benefits involved in the said exercise leaving aside the very basic requirement of the cadre.
This only shows the sort of techniques Board has been adopting, while dealing with our cadre. Further, we have repeatedly mentioned in our submissions that the number of LDC posts that is being proposed to be created will not alleviate the workload on the cadre or address its concerns. Instead of giving any cognizance to this demand to create equal numbers of posts in TA/STA cadre, the Board has not acceded to the said request. Similarly the reason for not providing separate staffing norms for a LTU remains a mystery and how the Board proposes to address the same is yet to be understood. Though a separate Cadre Control Commissionerate is proposed to be created for each zone, the allocation of the Ministerial officers is very meager, which again was pointed out in our submissions and the same has also been ignored royally. The demand for a one time relaxation for filling up the posts by promotion, with relaxation in qualifying service, wherever necessary has also not been met. Therefore, the much awaited Cadre Review might eventually come, but is going to be of no avail to anyone in this cadre, for the foregoing reasons.
The Minutes of the meeting held with the Hon’ble Chairman on the 12th July, 2011 stands testimony to the fact that even if a deadline is set to address an issue, it will not be maintained to resolve them, as there is no willingness to do so, since none of these issues raised therein have been addressed till date. It’s a matter of great concern for the cadre that even issues which could be decided with the approval of the Hon’ble Chairman or the Hon’ble Member(P&V) of CBEC does not get its desired approval and on some other issues the Board officials reveal their willingness to resolve issues which proposals get turned down by the Competent Authorities of Department of Expenditure, DOP&T, UPSC etc., etc. It is being given to understand that the framing of Recruitment Rules of Inspector has been taken up without giving any cognizance to the fate of Recruitment Rules of the hierarchical grades of CAO/AO and Superintendents.
It is being given to understand that the Board has proposed a qualifying service of 5 years from STA to Inspector and 15 years of combined service of TA/STA put together. Therefore, the posts that are likely to be created during the ensuing Cadre Restructuring will remain vacant for want of eligible candidates and thereafter as was done in the year 2003, the Board would very conveniently convert all the unfilled promote quota vacancies into Direct Recruit vacancies thereby depriving the Ministerial officers and causing injustice and lowering their morale.
The time has come for each one of us to rise to the occasion and meet the challenge to make our presence felt and fight for our existence, failing which, members of our cadre shall be overburdened with time bound work in the days to come, with hardly any promotional avenues and to survive with MACP benefits which too is meager.
It’s a sincere request from the Association’s end to each and every member of the Association to introspect and to analyze as to whether the hierarchy of the Cadre is well maintained and if yes, then there is no need for any uproar or any action to be initiated from our end.
However, incase each and every member of the Cadre, be it an Administrative Officer who has put in nearly 15 years as Administrative Officer and possessing a grade pay of Rs.4600/- which is on par with Inspectors, though being a Gazetted Group ‘B’ officer and still waiting to become a Chief Accounts Officer or those who have waited and retired from service owing to the Board not holding DPC’s on regular basis, or be it those Deputy Office Superintendents who are stagnating in the grade pay of Rs.4200/- with Senior Tax Assistants and whose existence is likely to become redundant as can be seen from the genuine efforts being put in by the Board, or be it the Tax Assistants who are graduates but being made to earn a grade pay of Rs.2400/- for no fault of theirs etc., etc.
Even after this effort, if the cadre is found sleeping, then in that situation all the present set of Office bearers in the All India Association shall consider themselves out of any criticism that may take birth consequent to this Cadre Restructuring and more so nothing much could be attained after the damage is done. Recently, we all have witnessed the entire youth of the nation coming together for a corrupt free state and the results thereto and its an earnest request that members of this Association all around the country may come ahead and support the cause which is for the overall growth of the Ministerial cadre. United we stand and divided we would fall, so do not ignore the Associations call.
Awaiting your feedback, support and initiative in starting a revolution in itself, which would finally give you a recognition in the Department where you would serve for more than three decades.
Comradely Yours,
Thomas Mony,
Secretary General
