Port Blair, Jan 31: In the recent meeting with the Union Home Minister Shushil Kumar Shinde at New Delhi, PCC President Kuldeep Rai Sharma has also appraised him of the issues related to the Director of Transport, AN Administration for favourable consideration and early approval.
Kuldeep, submitting various correspondences on the issue, stated that the A & N Administration has already submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for creation of 638 posts of various categories keeping plan provision and stated that early creation of these posts will provide regular employment to the presently engaged workers on daily wages in the Directorate of Transport and will also improve the efficiency of the Directorate in operation and maintenance of Bus Services throughout the islands.
On the issue of grant of Grade Pay of Rs.1900/- in the Pay Band of Rs.5200-20200/- to the Bus Conductors and Grade Pay of Rs.2400/- to the Checking Inspector of Directorate of Transport, Kuldeep has stated of the disparity in scale of pay of Bus Conductors and Checking Inspector of the Transport Department of AN Islands when compared to their counterpart of other Union Territories like Delhi, Goa, Daman and Pondicherry. The Bus Conductors and Checking Inspector serving under the AN Administration are drawing the pay in the Pay Band of Rs.5200-20200/- with a Grade Pay of Rs.1800/- and Rs.2000/- respectively, where as the Bus Conductors of Delhi, Goa, Daman and Pondicherry are drawing the pay in the pay Band of Rs.5200-20200/- with a Grade pay of Rs.1900/- and Checking Inspectors with a Grade Pay of Rs.2400/-.
Kuldeep then stated that the AN Administration has taken up the issue of up-gradation of pay scale of the Bus Conductors and Checking Inspector of Motor Transport Department of ANI with Ministry of Home Affairs vide letter No.MT/54-4/ESTT/Vol/-11/1194 dated the 24th November, 2011. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways though has issued No objection to the proposal but vide their OM No. RT-13015/2/2012-T(Part.I), dated 28Oct./7th November 2013 has intimated, that the Ministry of Home Affairs being the nodal ministry in respect of the UT Administration of A&N Islands, the proposal of Andaman & Nicobar Administration need to be forwarded by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Department of Expenditure for their approval; which is still awaited by the A&N Administration.
