The Promotion problem

By Vijay Kumar

The extent of frustration in the field is simply stunning. DDT’s report yesterday that the Board proposes to create 4000 odd posts has evoked unprecedented response. No news in DDT had received so much response. Obviously people out there are angry and fuming! Rightly so, with no promotion for 20 years. An Inspector wrote in,

“whether this approval by the CoS will have to be approved by the Expenditure Ministry or it has already been accorded approval by the said Ministry. If it is the former then it will take some time before the proposal comes into effect but if it is the later then it can be implemented immediately. Can u please throw some light on my apprehensions? I am presently working as an Inspector in Central Excise for the last 20 years & am pretty delighted with the news that has trickled in.”

After twenty years, even the news of a probable promotion is delightful.

While the case of Inspectors and Superintendents is pathetic, there is another wing called communication in the department where the employees retire in the same cadre as the one in which they join. Their association has written in to say that nobody bothers about them and their plight. They have no work and no promotion – just like the others.

A thoroughly dissatisfied army is a dangerous outfit. Actually what these poor employees ask for is nothing much and it doesn’t really cost the government too much. For example, every inspector who has completed 12 years of service gets the salary of a Superintendent. The government doesn’t lose anything by promoting him in the eleventh year. Why not go on giving promotions after every six or seven years of service? That will keep the employees happy. Will the Generals in Delhi listen?