Telangana to terminate services of 6,720 retired staff on Monday
Employee unions, regular staff welcome decision
Hyderabad:Employee unions have welcomed the state government's decision to terminate the services of retired employees, some of them aged up to 86 years, who were working on extensions.
The government will terminate the services of 6,729 retired personnel across departments on March 31. These extensions continued for years together under the BRS regime.
They were seen as obstructions to promotions and transfers of regular staff besides obstructing new recruitment drives.
The decision is seen as a boost to regular employees awaiting promotions and transfers, while also opening the doors for fresh recruitment. Only around 100 of these employees, whose roles are deemed essential, may be retained in April, according to official sources.
The government has clarified that any future reappointments will be made through fresh notifications. While insiders suggest that only a handful — fewer than 100 — may be brought back for roles requiring technical expertise, most are unlikely to be reinstated.
A. Padma Chary, chairman of the Telangana Udyogula Sangham, lauded the move and criticised the reappointments made by the earlier government. "Most of these were political appointments, driven by proximity to former rulers. Despite having capable staff, the BRS government continued extensions unnecessarily," he said.
Telangana Gazetted Officers Association president Eluri Srinivasa Rao called it a "bold and long-overdue decision".
"A single reappointment can block promotion avenues for eight levels below the hierarchy. Our employees have the qualifications and experience, yet they were denied growth because of these extensions," Rao said.
Employee unions recalled that during the statehood agitation, there was a strong demand against the reappointment of retired staff. However, the BRS government ignored this demand, appointing retired officials even in regular administrative positions, a move now reversed by the current administration.
The terminated list includes contract employees, including IAS officers, engineers, RDOs, municipal commissioners, forest range officers and MROs. Hyderabad Metro Rail managing director N.V.S. Reddy and Yadagirigutta temple development authority vice-chairman G. Kishan Rao are among those affected.
Sources indicate that NVS Reddy, who has led the Metro Rail project since its inception, might be considered for a fresh role, given his experience and domain knowledge.