The growing hegemony of Indian Forest Service officers in general administration is causing heartburn for the members of the Indian Administrative Service, who are considering to approach department of personnel seeking their intervention.
The strange phenomena of inducting IFS officers in the general administration begun few months ago and already five such officers has got important posting in the secretary and principal secretary level.
V.K. Bahuguna is the latest in the row who was appointed as principal secretary and was entrusted with the agriculture department that till now was held by additional chief secretary K.V. Satyanarayan. The chief secretary, S.K. Panda, also was not spared as he was stripped of the forest portfolio in favour of an IFS officer.
In all the states, the forest department normally remains with the chief secretary and in Tripura it is for the first time the department went out of his hand that the IAS officers considers to be an humiliation.
‘We discussed the matter among ourselves and a meeting of the IAS association is likely to be called shortly’, said one of the executives of the association claiming anonymity. He also hinted that they may approach the Central government department that is controlling their services.
Apart from inducting officers from other services retaining at least seven retired officers on reappointment in the top echelon of the administration for years together is depriving the in-service officers from their due promotion. At least nine officers are not getting their promotion even after attaining requisite qualifications and length of service. Down the line, the deprivation is percolating among the state civil service officers also who are not getting promotion for want of vacancy.