Transport department staff demoralized after 27 assistant transport officers appointed on deputation basis
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ December 12,2023
Recently Punjab government has restructured the state transport department. In the restructuring 23 regional transport officers (RTOs) are appointed to head each district and 4 secretary regional transport authority (RTAs) to head four divisions.
Now, the transport department has appointed 27 assistant transport officers on deputation basis.
The state transport department had issued a letter 1/27/2023–4T2/1657-1658 dated 14.09.2023 to all the state government departments and requisitioned the eligible 37 officials on deputation (transfer on temporary basis) for the post of assistant transport officers in the transport department to be deputed in the district level offices.
In response to this the state transport department has selected 27 officials from different departments namely director education, industry and commerce, deputy commissioner office, divisional commissioner office, co-operative department, Punjab vidhan sabha, food and civil supplies, PWD etc. and deputed them as assistant transport officers.
As per available information, all the senior assistants of the state transport department have shown their resentment over the appointment of these 27 assistant transport officers in their parent department. They have written a letter to the principal secretary, transport department and requested him to reconsider his decision to fill these vacant 37 posts on deputation basis by ignoring them.
They pointed out that “the department has promoted 17 officials as senior assistant vide letter number 1/10/2022-4T2/1266-68 dated 21-10-2022. They had joined the transport department as clerk in the year 1997-98. As per civil rules, we had to be promoted as junior assistants after 5 years of services. But, we were placed as junior assistants in the year 2013. After this, as per rules we had to be promoted as senior assistant after 4 years of service, which was not done and we were placed as senior assistants in October 2022.”
They further added that, “we have already 26 years of service in the transport department. If the department had promoted us earlier than we would have been serving as assistant transport officers or on above posts. But we are still serving as senior assistants. The department is appointing officials from other departments. First they have no experience of transport department and secondly we all are left without promotion and we all are feeling like an abandoned child.”
Transport department staff demoralized after the 27 assistant transport officers appointed on deputation basis. They have requested the PS, state transport department to consider them for the appointment as assistant transport officers and they will work wholeheartedly for the department.
