Include Head of Office/Head of Institution as competent authority for grant of leave including CL and station leaving permission to Group B (Non Gazetted) officers: MP Demands

Port Blair, Apr 25: Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Member of Parliament, A&N Islands has requested the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration to consider for review and modify the Administration order No.731 dated 17.03.2021 so far concerned to leave sanctioning authority by including that the Head of Office/Head of Institution are also the competent authority for grant of leave including Casual Leave and station leaving permission to Group B (Non Gazetted) officers as the said revised order it would be very difficult and most impractical for them to avail leave such kind of leave from the concerned Head of the Department stationed at Port Blair, especially in case of any exigency.
He informed that a majority of employees i.e. 30-35 % of total employees in different departments under the A&N Administration such Primary School Teachers, Graduate Trained Teachers, Post Graduate
teachers, Librarians, Physical Education Teachers, Craft Instructors, Head Clerks, Office Superintendents, Staff Nurses, Nursing Officers, Senior investigators, Para Medical staff, Sub Inspectors, Junior Engineers and other technical staff of almost all Departments drawing the Grade Pay of Rs 4200/- to 5400/ in the Pre-revised pay structure (Presently Pay Level 6 to 10) are Group B (Non-Gazetted). In some Departments like Education the majority of employees belong to ‘Group B Non-Gazetted’ (4500 out of 5500). So sanctioning of leave including Casual leave and station leaving permission, in a time bound manner/emergency, to such a large number of employees by the HoD is a herculean task and may affect the other normal activities.
He further said that these Group B (Non Gazetted) employees are posted in every nook and corner of the Islands including remotest islands/places including Chipoh, Ganesh Nagar, Budhanallah, Macarthy Valley, Afra Bay, Dering, Gopal Nagar, Garjantikri, Pulopanja, Kuitasuk, Cutbert Bay, Borang, Hanspuri, East Bay Katchal, Sagar Dweep etc. and even simple mobile communication facility and other digital services such as WhatsApp, e-mail, etc for communication in case of an emergency for leave are not available in all these remote Islands. The difficulty in getting leave and station leaving permission from the Head of the Department is that their Heads of Departments are either Director or the Secretary or even Chief Engineer concerned who are stationed at Port Blair. In cases where an employee posted at outstation i.e.
North & Middle Andaman or Nicobar Group of Islands, it would be most impractical for them to avail leave and station leaving permission from the concerned Head of the Department stationed at Port Blair, especially in case of any exigency. He also emphasizes that treating Casual leave along with other kinds of leave is improper as normally employees are availing it in some exigencies like sudden health problems of self/family members or to attend some urgent personnel issues. As per the instant order all Group B (Non Gazetted) employees posted in the length and breadth of the islands from Campbell Bay to Diglipur are supposed to approach their Heads of Department at Port Blair even for a ½ day CL in an exigency.
Therefore, keeping in view of the afore said problems facing by the Non-Gazetted employees of A&N Administration, Mr. Sharma, MP requested the Chief Secretary, A&N Admn to modify the above said order accordingly by including Head of Office/Head of Institution as competent authority for grant of leave including CL and station leaving permission to Group B (Non Gazetted) officers.