Taking cognisance of Central Service Rules being flouted by an Indian Navy officer on deputation in National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Road Transport & Highways Minister CP Joshi has directed the authority to immediately repatriate the defence officer.
While general manager (HR & administration) Rakesh Nagar’s five-year tenure was to end in December 2013, his premature and sudden repatriation has raised many eyebrows.
Nagar is on deputation from the Ministry of Defence and his parent department had earlier written several letters to NHAI, requesting to repatriate him due to shortage of administrative officers in Navy. However, the authority did not until directives from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH).
Investigations have found the officer himself was not willing to be reverted to his parent department. He had applied for the post of administrative officer in IIM-Ahmedabad without his parent department’s knowledge. Nagar, however, had mentioned in his application to IIM that in case of his selection, he would resign from the Ministry of Defence.
Further serious service matter violations have been tracked, according to the RTI reply received by The Pioneer. In the 89th NHAI board meeting, Nagar and another NHAI official Nitin Gupta misrepresented the fact to board members that “promotion” from personal assistant to assistant manager (administration) level is in practice in the Central Government. This is contrary to MoRTH’s order dated June 26, 2009, which categorically clarified such kind of practice was not permissible.
A MoRTH official said, “The wrongdoing went further when last month, officials released an advertisement on NHAI website calling for applications for various categories of posts, wherein it has been envisaged that NHAI chairman is competent to relax ‘essential experience’ of a post.”
“In fact, experience - which is integral part of the recruitment regulations for a post - is notified in the Gazette of India only after being duly approved by the NHAI board. Therefore, only the board has power to reconsider it,” he added.