Nagpur: The state-owned Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) is once again in the thick of controversy for re-appointing a divisional manager (DM) on contract basis the same day of his retirement.
PS Rajput, DM with FDCM’s Bramhapuri division, retired on May 31, and got his re-appointment orders signed by managing director N Rambabu the same day.
Shockingly, Rajput has not handed over the charge even after retirement and will now continue at the same place on contract basis with full financial dealings and administrative powers.
Now, a controversy has erupted whether a retired person can have financial and administrative powers? “This is virtually a backdoor entry as legally it could have been difficult. A person on contract cannot have financial and administrative powers. He cannot sanction leaves or transfer staff or issue cheques,” says Ramesh Maitre, an FDCM Retired Employees’ Union leader.
While re-appointing Rajput, no valid procedure like issuing advertisement and invite applications from deserving retired officials was followed as per the GR issued on December 17, 2016.
Managing director Rambabu says the GR is not applicable to corporations that do not take salary grants from the government. “FDCM is one of them, and a revised GR in this regard was issued on February 21, 2018,” he said.
However, the revised GR talks only about the salary part to be paid by the corporations. It doesn’t say that procedure by inviting applications should not be followed.
Rajput has been re-appointed for a period of one year or till further orders without the permission of the FDCM board. This is the first case of a retired
officer being re-appointed the same day he retired. Other officers were never appointed on contract in such a tearing hurry.
When questioned, Rambabu said the issue will be placed before the board meeting in the third week of June for approval.
“FDCM is facing acute manpower crisis. Of the 19 DMs, only 14 are in place. Of these, 9 DMs will retire by December 2018. Moreover, there are no assistant managers (AMs) who could be promoted as DMs for next three years,” said Rambabu.
As reported by TOI earlier, Rajput had been suspended twice for large-scale illicit felling of trees in 2004-05 in reserve forest in Kinwat division of FDCM. In one case of irregularity he had been punished.