The AAP Government has now made 71 senior officers as first link officers to discharge the duties of various departments in the absence of their respective HODs in the national Capital. Also, the Government has empowered 71 other senior officers as second link officers to take a final call of the departmental works in case their HODs and first link officers proceed on leave.
The orders to this effect issued with the approval of lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung said the Principal Secretaries, Secretaries and HODs should make similar link officer arrangements in respect of officers up to the level of deputy secretaries, deputy directors and above.
The Government’s move to appoint link officers is an attempt to ensure that if an officer is not able to attend office due to any reason, the link officer without any official notification would automatically take charge of the allocated departments. Earlier, the AAP Government has issued an order empowering junior officials to officiate as link officers in the absence of senior bureaucrats.
The orders issued by Special Secretary (Services) T Sreekanth said if any department has both Principal Secretary and Secretary, each one would be the link officer for the other. “If both, the Principal Secretary and the Secretary are available in the link department, the equivalent officer will be the link officer.” The Government has, however, made it clear that officers who will function as link officers will not be entitled to any additional remuneration.
The link officer arrangement will come into operation whenever an officer proceeds on leave or training. But in case of the Chief Secretary and the Financial Commissioner, their link officers will be nominated from time to time by the l-G.
With the new arrangement in place, the Principal Secretary (vigilance) and the Principal Secretary (urban development) will be the first and second link officers respectively for the Principal Secretary (services).
For the Principal Secretary (finance), the Principal Secretary (GAD) and the Principal Secretary (UD) will be the first and second link officers respectively. And for the Principal Secretary (home), the Principal Secretary (vigilance) and the Principal Secretary (services) will be the first and second link officers respectively.
For the Commissioners of the South, East and North Delhi Municipal Corporations, the commissioners themselves will be the first and second link officers of their counterparts. A similar arrangement has also been worked out for 13 other autonomous bodies, commissions and corporations. The order has clearly specified that the deputy commissioners of one districts will be the first and second link officers of their counterparts.