Following direction from the Union Cabinet Secretary that the States shall initiate proceedings for deemed resignation against officers who do not return from foreign assignments within one month after completion of the scheduled tour period, the Delhi Government has started a mammoth exercise to locate the officers who have been overstaying abroad.
In a letter to Chief Secretary KK Sharma, Cabinet Secretary Pradeep K Sinha has said that a number of instances have to come to notice where officers have been overstaying their foreign deputation. “This trend needs to be discouraged by ensuring strict action against errant officers,” Sinha wrote in the letter.
An exercise carried out by the cadre controlling authorities had reportedly suggested that as many as 19 IAS officers and two of the IPS officers belonging to various State cadres went abroad on study leave or official assignments and didn’t return. Shockingly neither the Centre nor the State Governments had any clue about their whereabouts. Of these, three — Namita Dutta, a 1991 batch IAS officer; lV Prasad, 1997 batch IPS officer; and Puneet Arora, also 1997 batch IPS officer — are from AGMUT cadre.
Top sources said that Puneet Arora was last posted in North district as Additional DCP-II in 2004. He proceeded on study leave to the US and is said to be working there. Arora has neither resigned nor informed the MHA. According to Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) officials, Namita Datta has been missing since 2006. She had gone to join the United Nations on an assignment as Governance Adviser, World Bank, Washington, but didn’t return. As far as lV Prasad is concerned, neither the Delhi Police nor the DoPT has any information about his whereabouts. Prasad’s last posting was as DCP (DE) cell in the Delhi Police. Prasad had also served as DCP (Traffic).
He is said to have gone totally incommunicado with the cadre controlling authority Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and has been marked absent for the last five years or so, said one of his batchmates.
The letter said, “It may also be noted under Rule 7(2) of the AIS (leave) Rules 1955 and instructions issued vide letter No. 11019/ 95/2015-AIS-III dated 03/1/2015 State Governments shall initiate proceedings for deemed resignation if the Member of Service does not return from foreign assignment within one month after completion of the approved tenure and forward a proposal to the concerned cadre controlling authority i.e. DoPT for IAS; MHA for IPS and MoEF & CC for IFS officers for further taking further action on the issue.”
Following the Cabinet Secretary directive, Deputy Secretary (Services) Mukesh Kumar Sharma has written to all the IAS officers of AGMUT Cadre stating that in the event of the officer overstaying for any reason, whatsoever, he or she is liable to disciplinary action and other adverse civil service consequences which would include the period of unauthorised overstay not being counted for service for the purpose of pension and that any increment due during the period of unauthorised overstay being deferred with cumulative effect till the date on which the officer rejoins his parent cadre.
Sharma said: “The Cabinet Secretary has once again impressed upon the Cadre Controlling Authorities to ensure that extant provisions in this matter are strictly followed and that the officers are made aware of the implications of overstay before they are relieved for taking up their foreign assignments. Cadre Controlling Authorities are further advised to make sure that the officers do not continue on the foreign assignment beyond the approved tenure and that they report back to their Cadre immediately after completion of approved tenure.”
A senior officer, requesting anonymity said, “These officers have neither been debarred from Central deputation nor can they be denied permission to rejoin active duty when they turn up after several years of self-induced coma.”