THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The previous UDF government's decision to wrest the power of issuing payslips of All-India Service Officers from the Accountant-General (AG) and retain it with the state government has remained on paper. It was in a bid to tide over the objections raised by the AG over postings and promotions of senior officers by creating additional cadre posts that the Oommen Chandy government decided on the move.
However, the decision could not be implemented owing to the objection raised by the finance department citing practical and legal difficulties. Some officials associated with the AG's office were also learnt to have played a role in torpedoing the plan.
As a result, some promotions of IAS and IPS officers made by the previous government by creating additional posts are in trouble. The issue has also triggered strong differences among top bureaucrats. While some officers insist on reverting the promotions, another section opposes it citing that the state governments has powers to create additional cadre posts on a temporary basis for up to two years.
The Chandy government had decided in February to promote the 1986 batch IAS officers, Vishwas Metha, W.R. Reddy, James Varghese and P.H. Kurien from the rank of principal secretary to additional chief secretary and IPS officers of the same batch A. Hemachandran, Shanker Reddy, Rajesh Dewan and Mohammed Yasin from ADGP rank.
