WILL THE INSPECTOR RAJ RETURN?

Members have brought to our notice the reply given in the Parliament for a starred question regarding whether Uniform is there for CGST.  

The reply went on to rely upon the vintage Office Procedure Manual, which many of us have not even seen with our eyes.  It was last published in 1975.

The formations in the said OPM like Circle Offices and Multi Office Range do not exist.

The OPM was running parallel to the TEM (Tobacco Excise Manual) which was merged in the BEM and declared that whichever provisions of TEM are not available in the BEM cease to exist.  That was in 1989 - the era which ushered in PBC, RBC checks and consciously walked away from the Physical control on most of the products.

Still, almost every year, we used to be flogged by use of the term 'INSPECTOR RAJ'

As an Association we tried hard to inculcate the necessity to treat the Trade as our bread earners and not as enemies and therefore not to use the terror of uniform, which had been dropped in the BEM.

The Central Excise Rules of 2001 and 2002 also dropped the word Uniform.

Nowhere we used Uniform, other than of course for PROTOCOLS.

What is PROTOCOL? asked the Vice Chairman of the 6th CPC, when we discussed the issue and said that if Uniform is continued, it should be continued with proper allowance and dignity and not for merely doing PROTOCOL.

The Joint Secretary who was nearby informed the Vice Chairman that PROTOCOL meant accompanying Higher Officials to Airports and Railway Stations.  

For that? No. Said the Vice Chairman. The 5th CPC has already abolished it, he said.

The 6th CPC gave no recommendation for allowances.

The Khelkar Committee had also recommended abolition of Uniform.

All this was unmindful of the fact that the BEM had already abolished it.

Yet, from time to time the ghost would arise.

On one hand we will be flogged for INSPECTOR RAJ.  On another 'for discipline', they would say, it has to be worn once in a while.

The then General Secretary of the Inspectors Association at Chennai, Shri. G. Natarajan had asked, 'does it mean that others who are not prescribed with uniform do not require discipline'?

Before the CIC, the CBEC itself conceded that what was prescribed in the pre-Independence era was being continued as a matter of Custom.  As per the CIC direction, a draft guidelines were also attempted in 2013. It was not however concluded.

Now after more than 7 years, they have lead the Hon'ble Ministry into believing that the 1975 OPM unknown in most of the Head quarters Offices of CGST even, is still ruling.

Due to pressure from members from across the country, the CEC has brought the facts to the notice of the Hon'ble FM. COPY OF THE LETTER COULD BE ACCESSED HERE

Just a glance at some of the attires prescribed in the OPM Rules will enable any one to assess the truth of the matter.

SOLA HAT

JACKET

WEBB BELT

In spite of all this, if the Government wants the CGST officers to be Uniformed Officers, we hope they will provide the necessary infrastructure and facilities to behave on par with the Uniformed Officers of the Police at least.