A change in government raises new hopes in civil servants across services. It is not only IAS and IPS officers who hope to get focal posts in the administration but others from lesser known services.
One of them, V. Appa Rao, an officer of Indian Railway Stores Service, recently joined Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju as an Officer on Special Duty. His appointment came as a bolt from the blue because there were many other aspirants for the job. Moreover, he was a railway officer.
An IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh Satish Chandra who went on Central deputation in 2008 and his period was to expire this month made a comeback to his cadre State just when Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu became the Chief Minister. Mr. Satish Chandra was in the inner circle of Mr. Naidu when the latter lost power in 2004.
Retirement age
A recent order of the Andhra Pradesh government depriving the staff of some institutions enhancement in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years has caused them heart burn.
The order said, except the staff of aided educational institutions, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam municipal corporations and public sector undertakings, the enhanced age will apply to all other government employees. The staff has not taken it well complaining that they were being made to retire at 58 while the IAS officers who headed the municipal corporations and the PSUs, including the State Road Transport Corporation, served longer with higher pay. The benefit of government decisions should percolate down below.
CAT notice triggers debate
A notice issued by the Central Administrative Tribunal asking the Andhra Pradesh government to explain why the interim order of the tribunal staying the implementation of the transfer of Superintendent of Police of railways at Vijayawada Ch. Shyamprasad Rao was not followed created a stir in police circles.
The DGP of Andhra Pradesh had last month sent a fax message to Mr. Rao to get relieved from his post and entrust the responsibility to the Director General of Police (Railways). The CAT, however, asked the government to file a counter affidavit or present its argument on July 9 explaining why it went ahead asking the officer to quit when it had stayed the transfer.
