27 June 2001

BUREAUCRATIC PANGS AFFLICT GOVT

From Jal Khambata

NEW DELHI: The newly appointed bosses of India's apex intelligence and investigating agencies -- Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation -- are facing the serious handicap of the non-availability of the second commands to share their responsibilities and this is affecting work of the two agencies.

The IAS lobby is preventing appointment of the special directors in the two agencies as it would otherwise result in the 1968 batch IPS officers getting these posts which are equivalent to the rank of the Secretary in the Government of India. The IAS lobby is already cross with the government at the decision to give extension to only the Cabinet Secretary and not all.

No 1968 batch IAS officer has yet qualified for the secretary-level post and the IAS lobby having the say in the government appointments has always tried to ensure that the IAS officers are promoted two years before the IPS officers of the same year's batch get the promotion.

In case of the CBI, Special Director P C Sharma was promoted as the CBI's chief, though it was described as "acting" charge, while the other special director N Gopala Chari has moved to the Narcotics Control Board as its director. Cases have started piling up in the CBI since Sharma does not want to abandon the drill of sensitive cases being handled only by himself as the director or by special directors.

IB chief K P Singh has chosen to distribute the work of the two vacant posts of the special secretary among five additional secretaries after finding the Cabinet Secretariat sitting tight over his recommendation to promote two of them as special secretaries. All these additional secretaries belong to 1968 batch of the IPS and are eligible for promotion but Singh does not want to press for it when told that it would create problems in other central police organisations.

Singh, a 1966 batch IPS officer, was himself special director in IB before his promotion while the second special director was N C Padhi who did not want to continue under his own batchmate and is now going to Orissa as the Director-General of Police.

There are, of course, three IPS officers of the 1967 batch in the Intelligence Bureau who can have been made the special directors but they are all posted abroad and none wants to return to India. Only this factor weighed in the mind of Singh to recommend the case of the 1968 batch but did not press when told about the difficulties that may arise from the IPS officers in other organisations.

IAS LOBBY UPSET: Meanwhile, the IAS lobby is quiet upset at the government's discriminatory decision to allow up to two years of extension to only the Cabinet Secretary and not to others. IAS Officers Association President Kiran Agarwal has convened a meeting of the association here on July 8 to discuss "current problems."

Of course, the only problem that may be discussed is the favour shown to the 1963 batch T R Prasad to continue as the Cabinet Secretary, blanking the prospects of all six officers of 1964 batch who will be now retiring before his extended term ends. Kiran Agarwal also belongs to the 1964 batch and is due for retirement by this year end. The association may try to build up pressure for allowing two years more in service to all senior officers instead of the cabinet secretary alone.

The Association would also seek clarification whether Prasad gets an extension of two years to remain in the post until the end of July 2003 or he is allowed to continue to complete two years in the post, which means up to October 2002. If he continues till July 2003, even the 1965 batch IAS officers may lose the chance to get the top post since only a few would be left in service by then and the government may skip them since they too would be close to retirement. END