BHUBANESWAR: Even as transfer of Government employees is carried out during Covid-19 pandemic, the general principle for transfer is not implemented for officers belonging to Odisha Secretariat Service (OSS) for years.

Non-implementation of transfer policy prepared in 2017 has not only defeated the 5T agenda to transform governance in all departments by bringing about institutional-level changes but also allowed to grow vested interest among officers working in a particular department for more than 10 years.

There are many instances of OSS officers working uninterruptedly in particular departments for more than 20 years. The normal practice of transfer at the time of promotion are violated and transfer orders often modified to accommodate the officer in the same department after promotion. Around 10 officers are working in Finance, Home, Housing and Urban Development, School and Mass Education and Higher Education departments for more than 20 years without being disturbed.

As many as 150 officers who have completed 10 years in a particular position have not been transferred. The maximum deviation to general principle of transfer is noticed in Home department, the cadre controlling authority of the OSS officers.In order to bring in efficiency among employees by routinely exposing them to new work challenges and environment, the State Government had notified a policy for transfer and positing on May 25, 1990. In a separate resolution the same year, the Home department mandated routine transfer of assistants who have completed more than six years in a department in a normal course. However, there was no specific transfer policy for secretariat cadre till 2017.

Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy during his stint as Principal Secretary, Home had framed guidelines for inter-departmental transfer of officers belonging to OSS and a resolution was notified on February 28, 2017.
“No member of the service shall remain in a particular section for more than six years. Officers working in a department for 10 years should not be allowed to continue in the department,” the resolution said. The resolution had also specifically mentioned that the officer transferred from a department will not be re-posted in the same department for three years.