Imphal: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee on Friday urged the N Biren Singh-led BJP government to appoint a new Chief Secretary of the State, stating that there are already three senior IAS officers who deserve to be Chief Secretary of Manipur.Â
Speaking to media persons, N Bupenda Meitei, senior spokesperson of the MPCC, said that extending the term of a retired IAS officer of 1988 batch as Chief Secretary is self contradictory to a Cabinet decision of the N Biren Singh led government on 3rd April, 2017, which it decided not to re-engage or extend services to any government employees after their retirement.
Bupenda Meitei demanded that there should be an end to the entire extension or re-engagement of retired employees right from Chief Secretary post to clerk in Manipur, as there are many senior officials who are still re-engaged despite being retired.
Under All India Services Rules there are two exceptions to satisfy the criteria for extension/ re-employment: (i) that other officers are not mature enough to take over the job; or (ii) that a retiring officer is of outstanding merit. But, the rule also says that the age of superannuation should ordinarily be considered, and the outstanding merit is of technical/ scientific in nature, he reasoned.
Bupenda also pointed out the DoPT notification that states that only selected posts like Cabinet Secretary, Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary, Directors of IB, RAW, CBI, ED, and Secretaries of Department of Space & DAE can be given extension, and in the selected list of officers there is no mentioning of Chief Secretary in a state.
He, therefore, demanded that the state deserves a new Chief Secretary by appointing any one out of the three senior IAS officers of 1988 batch of Manipur cadre in the interests of the people of Manipur.
The Congress spokesperson also wondered how the present BJP government could send its employees to Sajiwa Jail for simply raising their democratic rights.
The manner in which the BJP government under Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who also hold Home portfolio, of taking the striking Secretariat staff and government employees inside the premise of Sajiwa Central jail despite the fact that it was done right after an MoU signed by Manipur government and Manipur Secretariat Services’ Association on 15th September, 2022 under the Chairmanship of Minister (PHE/CAF &PD) L Susindro Meitei highlighted the total failure of governance of the state government.
By referring to the meaning of a ‘prison’ from the Prisons Act, 1894, Bupenda asked whether there was a judicial custody order from the magistrate that had necessitated them to be brought inside the jail. He further said the jail administration does not come under police administration.
Sharing the rules of Union Home Ministry on how a visitor can enter a jail premise, the Congress leader enquired who has authorized them to be taken within the premise of the jail.
He said that when there was a demand of 6th Pay Commission during Congress government under the then Chief Minister Ibobi Singh, the then Congress government welcomed it and implemented it for the state government employees but today the present BJP government under CM Biren Singh sent the democratically protesting state government employees to jail.
He stated that such an act of government indicated that there was no rule of law in the state.
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