Govt bows to Reddys, eases transfer norms

Chief Minister Yeddyurappa, who chaired the State Cabinet meeting on Friday, agreed to relax norms pertaining to the transfer of officials.

But the relaxation is restricted to only village accountants who are under the administrative control of the revenue department.

Following complaints from  the Opposition parties that the transfer of officials had become a “money-spinner” for the BJP government, the chief minister had announced that there would be no general transfer in any department in the current year.

A couple of days ago,  Somashekar Reddy, BJP MLA and brother of Minister Karunakara Reddy, had alleged that even genuine requests of legislators, including transfers, were not being met by the party and the government.

It is said that in the Cabinet meeting, Revenue Minister Karunakara Reddy insisted that the transfer of at least village accountants should be allowed. It was not possible to approach the chief minister’s office for each and every transfer, he reportedly told the meeting.

Following this, the meeting decided to empower deputy commissioners to transfer village accountants who have put in more than five years of service at the same place.

Village accountants play a crucial role in maintaining land records and each panchayat has one village accountant. There are 5,600 gram panchayats in the State, according to official sources.

While giving the go-ahead for the transfer of village accountants, the Cabinet deferred a decision on finalising its “transfer policy.”

Over the past year, the BJP government time and again promised to come up with a policy on transfers. During the last Belgaum Assembly session, the chief minister was heckled by the Opposition for effecting transfers on a “selective basis.”

Briefing reporters, Home Minister V S Acharya said the State’s transfer policy had been referred to a Cabinet sub-committee.

He said village accountants who have completed more than five years of service at the same place would be transferred to the nearby taluk.

Acharya said a similar system was in place in the police department where personnel below the rank of ASI, who have put in more than five years in the same police station, were transferred.

The Cabinet also decided to increase the salaries of 15,000 contract employees by Rs 1,000 per month with retrospective effect from April 1, this year.