Uproar over extension in service and re-employment to govt servants in Himachal

Himachal Pradesh assembly witnessed uproarious scenes during the question hour on second day of the budget session on Wednesday as chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Mukesh Agnihotri locked horns over extension in service and re-employment granted to government servants.

The Congress later staged a walkout over alleged large-scale transfers of government employees.

Replying to a question raised by Jawalamukhi legislator Ramesh Dhawala on the extension in service and re-employment to the government servants, chief minister said that the figures were far less than the previous regime.

Chief minister said during his present term, only 20 government servants were given extension and 213 re-employment. “During Congress regime, 2,397 were given extension in service and 1,248 were re-employed in violation of rules,” the chief minister said.

Thereafter, raising a supplementary question, leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri contended that in-principle the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was against extension and re-employment.

“So, will the will the government impose a complete ban on the practice?” he asked.

Responding to him, chief minister said that the figures of the Congress regime were startling. “Truth is bitter and opposition doesn’t want to listen it,” he alleged.

To this, Agnihotri stood on his seat and tried to say something, however, chief minister snubbed him saying that the opposition wants to tell things but doesn’t listen.

“No one is afraid of you,” he said, advising Agnihotri to keep calm and learn from veteran leader Virbhadra Singh.

Meanwhile, chief minister said that extension and re-employment is necessary in certain cases.

“However, the previous government gave extension and re-employment purely on political bases and to people of a particular ideology,” said the chief minister.

He said that the present government has tried to ensure that norms are not violated while granting extension and re-employment. “Our government is not in favour of implementing the practice on large scale,” he said.

The chief minister informed that from January 2015 to January 2018, a total of 1,160 employees were given extension in service and more than ₹28 crore were spent on their salaries and perks. Of those given extension, 294 were Class-1 employees, 81 Class-II, 720 Class-III and 65 were class-IV employees.

OPPOSITION STAGES WALKOUT

Meanwhile, the Congress staged a walkout alleging large scale transfers of employees in the state. Replying to a question raised by Congress MLA from Sujanpur, Rajinder Singh Rana, chief minister informed the house that as many as 53,680 employees were transferred in the state from July 1, 2017, to July 31, 2019.

A total of 709 transfers took place in Sujanpu assembly constituency, said the chief minister. Chief minister informed that maximum 13,422 transfers took place in elementary education department and 13,422 in higher education.

Apart from it, 498 employees of agriculture department, 2,517 in animal husbandry, 1,225 in Ayurveda, 451 of excise and taxation and 272 employees in finance department were transferred.

As many as 1,109 forest department employees, 3,044 health, 5,160 home department, 1,313 Jal Shakti and 2,281 employees of power department were also shifted.

The chief minister said that 43,689 employees were transferred during the BJP government rule and 10,001 in Congress regime during this period.

“During the two-year rule of Congress, a total of 41,478 employees were transferred while under the current government, the figures are slightly higher,” said the chief minister.

To this, Congress members stood and started raising slogans even as the Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar announced end of the question hour.