Thiruvananthapuram: With the government accelerating the process of framing special rules for Kerala Administrative Service, the state might get its provincial civil service cadre by month-end or first week of March. Sources said the five-member panel headed by additional chief secretary, Home, was racing against time to finalise the special rules. The detailed report containing the special rules will be placed before the chief minister soon and subsequently Cabinet notification will make KAS a reality. A section of staff organisations have demanded that the final rules should be subjected to perusal by Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission and they have raised the plea before Kerala Administrative Tribunal.
However, the government believes there is no need for such an exercise as the ARC headed by former chief minister E. K. Nayanar of which S. M. Vijayanand was member secretary had recommended KAS. Moreover, ARC evaluation does not figure in the terms of reference. Notwithstanding the direct and indirect opposition from Congress and CPM-led secretariat associations, the chief minister is firm on constituting KAS which according to him will inject young blood into the state administration. The KAS will cover 30 departments including secretariat. All those posts which are one grade above the first gazetted post in the selected 30 departments would be included in the deputy collector cadre and made equivalent to deputy collector. Fifty percent of those from this category will be selected to the Kerala Administrative Service and the remaining 50 percent from the civil services recruitment conducted by the PSC.
Most states have Class-I State Civil Service officers who are later promoted into IAS. The absence of a professionally trained state civil service cadre on the lines of IAS is widely felt in Kerala's administrative sphere.The secretariat staff organisations are opposing KAS as they believe that it would seriously affect affect the structure and the very existence of the Secretariat service besides their promotion avenues. According to union leaders, the rules of business had clearly pointed to the need for the secretariat service for administrative and law making purpose with a quasi judicial character and a definite structure. But the report on the formation of the KAS did not have a comprehensive outlook or legal framework.
Meanwhile, employees associations are up in arms against vindictive transfers from secretariat. On Friday a lady employee leader working in tourism department was shifted to another department outside secretariat. The unions allege that government was selectively targeting their leaders to weaken their protest against KAS. The two week long “Nilpu Samaram” organised Congress led association was abruptly withdrawn on Friday. The employees were forced to end their strike following Chief Minister’s directive to take action against agitating staff. He had directive the security staff to examine CCTV footage to see who all took part in the agitation.
