WHAT I COULD NOT SAY IN YESTERDAY’S VIDEO CONFERENCE

Dear friends and comrades,

At the outset we should be thankful to the Chairman Shri. Ajit Kumar for having taken efforts to conduct a video conference for three Associations on the matter of Group ‘B’ to ‘A’, as promised.

The proceedings of yesterday’s meeting had been circulated in whatsapp and therefore is not uploaded here.

The resolution which is awaiting the approval of the AIEC will be uploaded on issue.

Many have been calling me or through whatsapp asking me whether we did not say certain aspects regarding our long stagnation history to the Chairman during yesterday’s video conference and press for our resolution for re-designation, enough. 

At the outset let me say my video and audio were badly disturbed during the conference that I could not hear most of what others spoke and I got to speak only at the very fag end.  Our President who was however able to see and participate in the entire proceedings, informed me that after every one had given their points, the Chairman and his team were waiting for almost 15 minutes to get back my link.

So by the time my link was re-established, understandably people would have been tired.  It was already about 6.45 pm I believe. 

In fact I had prepared a lot to bring to the notice of the Chairman.

But due to the time constraint it could not be expressed in full.

I could not narrate how the previous efforts of bridging the regional and zonal inequalities in promotion had been scuttled even after the decisions or after trhe schemes got implemented after a lot of organisational work and with the help of understanding Officials at the helm.

The first instance is of 1994-95.  The demand was for up gradation of posts of Inspectors who had completed 15 years as Superintendents.  Due to the efforts of the then President Shri. V. Unnikrishnan, and due to the interest taken by the then Revenue Secretary Shri. R. Sivaraman, supported by the Chairman of CBEC Shri. R. Gopalnathan, 1757 posts all over India had been upgraded.  Shri. P.R.V. Ramanan, then JS (Customs) was also actively involved in getting it through.  

But this  was demolished by vested interests during the re structuring in 2001-02. 

Similarly the Board’s decision of 1996 to integrate the three base cadres of Inspector, PO and Examiner was torpedoed and file itself could not be traced.  During the discussion on Stagnation Committee in 2018, we had to supply copy of the Board resolution.  

That decision is yet to be implemented till date again due to vested interests.

The next great move in the history of CBEC was made achieved when Smt. Shanthi Sundaram was the Chairperson.  The work for getting 2118 temporary posts of ACs created to take care of stagnation at the level of Group B was started and pursued by Shri. Sridharan and actively taken up with the DOPT by Shri. Dut Majumdar. Smt. Shanti Sundaram atlast saw it through.

Though these temporary posts of ACs were created to reduce stagnation and therefor outside the ambit of the Recruitment Rules, the flawed distribution ratio between Customs and Central Excise was used for distributing these posts also as a result of which we see that the imbalance has widened.  While an Inspector of 1985 has to knock the doors of Courts to get a second promotion in is career, the 1994 POs could become ACs in 2018, 1991 Examiner could become ACs in 2017 and JCs now.  It is to be borne in mind that the POs were also stagnating beyond 15 years in 1994-95 and they also supported our demand for upgradation and got benefited.  But what changed their positions today?

Why the Inspector born cadre has been left in the lurch and with more regional imbalances than ever?

There have been several Chairmen and Chairpersons in CBEC.  But Shri. R. Gopalnathan, Shri. Sridhar, Shri. Dut Majumdar and Smt. Shanthi Sundaram, like Revenue Secretary Shri. Sivaraman,  and Shri. P.R.V. Ramanan, will remain etched in the hearts of the Inspector born cadre of this Department.

This short history I was not able to tell in the meeting yesterday.

I also wanted to say what Principal Chief Commissioner Shri. Naresh Penumaka said in the meeting at Bhubaneshwar.  He said that he could understand the pain of stagnation because his father who joined as LDC in this department could retire only as Superintendent and still rues that he could not become an Assistant Commissioner.  I wanted to just say, how then, persons who joined as Inspectors and retire as Superintendents would feel.

But there was no time for saying all these.

However, people with a heart can hear even when things are not said.

Otherwise it matters not even if it is said.

with fraternal greetings,

R. Manimohan,

Secretary General