A big relief to employees, AP govt relaxed ban on transfers

VIJAYWADA: Giving much awaited relief to the employees, the state govt has relaxed the ban on transfers. The relaxation will be in force for about a fortnight from May 16-June 2. Employees who have completed a period of continuous stay of five years at a station as on May 31shall invariably be transferred.Employees, other than those who completed five years of stay at a station, shall also be eligible for transfer on personal request. All such employees shall exercise preference for stations. Employees who will be retiring from service on attaining the age of superannuation, on or before May 31 2026, will not normally be transferred except on request or administrative grounds.Principal finance secretary Peeyush Kumar said that the number of years of service in all cadres/posts at a station shall be reckoned as the period of stay at a station, where station means a place (City, town, village) of actual working and not the office or the institution for the purpose of transfers. He, however, said that preference will be given to visually challenged employees, employees who have mentally challenged children and seeking a transfer to a station where relevant medical facilities are available.Employees who worked for more than two years in tribal areas, employees with disabilities of 40% or more as certified by a competent authority as per the norms of “persons with disabilities,” will also be given preference over others. Employees seeking transfer on medical grounds (pertaining to self or spouse or dependent children), on account of chronic diseases such as cancer, open heart operations, neurosurgery, kidney transplantation to stations where such facilities are available, female employees who are widows appointed on compassionate grounds, will also be considered on priority.The visually challenged employees are exempted from transfers, except when they make a specific request for transfer. As far as possible, these categories of employees may be posted at a place of their choice subject to availability of a clear vacancy. In the case where both husband and wife are govt employees, efforts shall be made to post both of them at one station or in the stations that are nearer to each other. All transfers affected under these guidelines, including the employees who exercised the option of preferred stations, shall be treated as request transfers for the purpose of sanction of TTA and other transfer benefits. All vacancies in the notified agency areas shall be filled first before filling posts in the non-ITDA areas. Besides ITDA areas, areas which are interior and backward with large number of vacancies shall be given preference while filling up of vacancies on transfers.HoDs and District Collectors shall ensure the same. The employees shall preferably be below 50 years of age should be shifted to ITDAs or the employees who have not worked earlier in the ITDA areas so far shall be considered for transfers considering the length of their service in plain areas in the descending order of preference. Departments shall ensure that officials who are transferred out from ITDAs are not relieved without a substitute being posted/joining in their place. Any employee who does not report to the place of posting in the ITDA areas shall be liable for disciplinary action as per rules in vogue.