Some of them have taken bizarre proportions, with at least two section officers in the ministry of corporate affairs being there since 1977, for almost 34 years. According to last available communications, the ministry top brass was still trying to ensure that both of them remained there.
Details also show that at least 35 undersecretaries have been in the same ministry for more than 16 years. Central ministries and departments are mainly run by Central Secretariat Service personnel, whose transfers are governed by the Rotational Transfer Policy, which is meant to ensure that officials do not overstay in the same ministry and develop vested interests.
According to details provided to RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, department of personnel and training said on February 7 that it has been "issuing orders for transfer of undersecretaries who have remained in a ministry/department for more than the prescribed tenure. However, due to practical difficulties, this department has not been able to fully implement the rotational transfer policy".
The department on January 25 issued an order for 35 under-secretaries who had been in the same department for more than 16 years.
According to rules governing Central Secretariat Service, an officer at any level has to be posted out of the department where he is promoted immediately on promotion. The only exception is if the officer has only less than two years of service left.
The rule also says that the combined tenure of CSS officers in a particular department is five years as under-secretary, deputy secretary and director. For those below that, i.e. section officer or assistants, the combined tenure cannot be more than seven years in the same department. But if promotion happens in between, the person has to move out.
On February 14, DoPT issued its latest order, saying a CSS officer must be relieved of his duties within 45 days of transfer order. The order pointed out that if the officer was not relieved in 45 days, they would be "deemed" to have been relieved by the "cadre-unit in which he is working and thereafter the officer shall not be entitled to draw any salary and allowances for the period of such overstay".