Goa CM again warns babus of 'compulsory retirement'

The action of premature retirement is not limited only to Secretariat but for all government employees across the state, Sawant said

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday back his previous threat of "compulsory retirement" for errant government servants, saying his caution was potentially applicable to babus not just posted in the state Secretariat, but to thousands of government servants working across the coastal state.

Amid criticism from a state government employees association in Goa, Sawant on Monday, however, said that the state government would take the Association in confidence, before taking any further decision on the issue.

"We will take the government employees association in confidence before taking any step," the Chief Minister told reporters here.

"The action of premature retirement is not limited only to Secretariat but for all government employees across the state, who are found errant," Sawant also said.

Earlier this month, the state government's General Administration Department had issued a formal memorandum warning government servants of strict action, including "compulsory retirement" if they are found derelict in their discharge of duties. In response, the Goa Government Employees Association had sought an adequate formal notice period from the state government, before taking the step of pushing serving government employees towards "compulsory retirement".

On Monday, Sawant appeared to address the concern expressed by the Association.

"Since government employees have demanded that they be served three month's notice, before imposing compulsory retirement (on a bureaucrat), the government has decided to take them into confidence," Sawant said.

In an order on September 20, the General Administration Department in a directive had said that it had taken note of several instances of "lethargic approach towards office duties, disobedience, frequent late coming" on part of bureaucrats.

“Now cognizance of the same has been taken by the Secretary (General Administration) and being appointing authority has decided to initiate strict action against such employees, exhibiting poor or no performance, for dereliction of duties by invoking FR 56(j) which empowers the appropriate authority to retire any Government servant in the public interest,” the department's directive had said.

Goa has one of the highest population-to-government servant ratio, with nearly 70,000 bureaucrats catering to a population of just 1.5 million.