Chandigarh, October 22: This month’s salary of thousands of policemen, besides employees in the civil secretariat and the Health Department, is set to be withheld as the Finance Department has found that a substantial number is working against unsanctioned posts.
The unsanctioned posts are the legacy of the SAD-BJP, which posted its favourite officials on plum posts. The Congress regime continued this till the Finance Department pointed out that no salary would be paid against an unsanctioned post. Besides other ranks, five IPS officers also may not get this month’s salary.
It was also found that some employees were working as peons at the residences of government officials, but were drawing salary from elsewhere. Various departments are carrying out an exercise to adjust these employees against sanctioned posts or get their posts cleared. The Police Department alone has found about 4,000 staff on unsanctioned posts.
A senior police officer said the issue was likely to be resolved soon.The most interesting objection by the Finance Department is on the STF formed by the Chief Minister to check drugs. A number of posts in the STF are not sanctioned by the government, although the process is on.
The Finance Department has found out that many officers are posted in the head office, but they are drawing salary from districts or zones. This is particularly the case with police officers. Also, a number of bureaucrats enjoying proximity to the government are working elsewhere and drawing salary elsewhere.
Sources said the Finance Department had set October 31 as deadline for the departments to sort out the matter, failing which no salary would be paid. The previous deadline was September 30, but was extended with a rider of no more extension.
Officials say the lengthy process in getting a post sanctioned is the main reason behind a high number of unsanctioned posts. “After a department prepares the proposal, the Finance and Legal departments approve it. After a clearance from the CMO, the proposal is cleared by the Cabinet and then the state Assembly. The post is then finally sanctioned by the Governor.“
As a via-media, departments use services of an officer who takes salary against the originally sanctioned post. It is not that the government is paying more, but it is illegal,” said an official of the Finance Department.
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