Customs Appraisers - A Disillusioned Lot
IT is said that the appraiser is the only officer in the department who takes decisions. There is a feeling among Central Excise Superintendents that the appraisers are a manipulative, rich and powerful group who has managed to get all promotions and perks in the department. But there is another tragic side also. We know an appraiser with outstanding abilities, with absolutely no black mark languishing as an appraiser for the last 16 years (Of course there are Central Excise Superintendents languishing for more than 20 years in the same post) - all because the CBEC does not prepare a proper seniority list. It seems Board has a seniority list of appraisers only up to 2002 and all the appraisers in that list are promoted. It seems the Board is sitting on the file of preparation of Revised All India list and if that is done, some 25 appraisers will be placed in the seniority in the year 2002 and all of them will get promotion as nearly 35 officers junior to them are already promoted.
It is unfortunate that Board has no time or inclination to look after the career interests of its lower staff who are languishing for no fault of theirs. Even without cadre review, several Superintendents of Central Excise of the 1993 batch will get promotion if the vacancies are filled and many of them will retire in the next few months without having seen a second promotion in their 35-year-old career.If the Board is not able to fill existing vacancies properly, how will they handle the massive cadre restructuring if and when it comes?