The move towards doing away with the ‘non-performing lot’ from among the Punjab babus could not be initiated. The meeting of the five-member high level committee, headed by the state chief secretary Rakesh Singh, which was to be held on Thursday, has been postponed.
Acting on the directions of the Union Ministry of Personnel, the state government has constituted a high level committee to assess and analyse the performance of senior most Indian Administrative Service officers and Punjab Civil Service officers, with the sole objective of bringing about administrative efficiency, transparency and good governance.
Sources informed that there was some commotion in IAS lobby as some officers with blemished record and complaints of corruption against them were apprehending some action as stringent action against three PCS officers on the recommendation of this Committee has already been initiated by the Punjab Government under Punjab Civil Services (Premature Retirement), Rules, 1975.
The three PCS officers Kiran Rozy, TN Passi and Jaipal Singh have been retired. On that pattern, the Committee, which was scheduled to meet on Thursday, had on its agenda, appraisal of the service record of all Punjab IAS officers and to spot the inefficient and corrupt officers and recommend to the Department of Personnel and the Chief Minister for compulsory retiring them from service.
Sources stated that there are directions to constitute screening committees for all departments to be headed by concerned administrative secretary for reviewing performance of all Group A and B officers of various departments, boards and corporations. While a few departments have done this exercise but no meeting has ever held, most of the departments have even not thought of creating such mechanism in their respective departments.