T
he uproar raised in some districts following the reshuffling of a horde of IAS officers with the concomitant effect of transfer and re-posting of Deputy Commissioners needs some serious re-thinking. Already large sections of people are up in arms against the transfer of the former Chandel DC. A number of influential civil organisations are also demanding cancellation of the transfer order of Tamenglong DC. Chandel district seemed determined to retain the former DC if the barricade put up by the people between the new DC and the DC office was any indication. At the same time, it is a prerogative of any Government to re-shuffle its officers from time to time. But in Manipur, no one is stranger to protest demonstrations staged with vested interests even in matters like transfer of a teacher, leave apart heads of district administrations. There have been many cases in the past when such matters were ballooned into big, social issues. It is only natural for both officers and the local people to feel saddened when the officers get transferred after a relatively long period of close association. But such sad feelings cannot be any valid reason to object the transfer order or disturb Government machinery.
Certainly, the Government would be having its own set of policies regarding Transfer and Policy. Here, we cannot overlook the fact that the state often used transfer and re-posting as a way of punishing its officials. Having said this, we cannot simply dismiss the people’s strong protest that erupted against the recent transfer of the Deputy Commissioners of Chandel and Tamenglong districts. The contentions put up by the agitated people merit thorough introspection. The contentions that the Chandel DC was posted and re-posted thrice this year and that the Tamenglong DC was in the district hardly for five months are not incorrect. At district level, the Deputy Commissioner is the highest authority. The assertion that frequent transfer of DC hampers development work is also a fact. The assertion has all the rationality. It does not reflect any emotional shade that usually builds up after a certain period of close association. Considering all these points, the Chandel people’s protest against the transfer order has a very valid cause. It sounds indigestible if the Deputy Commissioner of a district is changed thrice in a single year as a punitive action. It is another matter if the Government has some well-founded reasons for the recent reshuffle and re-posting. In that case, it is imperative for the state to inform and convince the public that it was necessary. Had the state took a little trouble to explain its move, the present turmoil witnessed in Chandel and Tamenglong districts could have been averted. Whatever it may be, administrative restructuring or otherwise, resorting to transfer and re-posting at an inscrutable rate without any sound policy would certainly prove a serious deterrent to smooth functioning of the district administration. Upright and dedicated an officer may be, it would be more preferable for the people to raise no objection if the officer’s transfer is made according to rules.
he uproar raised in some districts following the reshuffling of a horde of IAS officers with the concomitant effect of transfer and re-posting of Deputy Commissioners needs some serious re-thinking. Already large sections of people are up in arms against the transfer of the former Chandel DC. A number of influential civil organisations are also demanding cancellation of the transfer order of Tamenglong DC. Chandel district seemed determined to retain the former DC if the barricade put up by the people between the new DC and the DC office was any indication. At the same time, it is a prerogative of any Government to re-shuffle its officers from time to time. But in Manipur, no one is stranger to protest demonstrations staged with vested interests even in matters like transfer of a teacher, leave apart heads of district administrations. There have been many cases in the past when such matters were ballooned into big, social issues. It is only natural for both officers and the local people to feel saddened when the officers get transferred after a relatively long period of close association. But such sad feelings cannot be any valid reason to object the transfer order or disturb Government machinery.
Certainly, the Government would be having its own set of policies regarding Transfer and Policy. Here, we cannot overlook the fact that the state often used transfer and re-posting as a way of punishing its officials. Having said this, we cannot simply dismiss the people’s strong protest that erupted against the recent transfer of the Deputy Commissioners of Chandel and Tamenglong districts. The contentions put up by the agitated people merit thorough introspection. The contentions that the Chandel DC was posted and re-posted thrice this year and that the Tamenglong DC was in the district hardly for five months are not incorrect. At district level, the Deputy Commissioner is the highest authority. The assertion that frequent transfer of DC hampers development work is also a fact. The assertion has all the rationality. It does not reflect any emotional shade that usually builds up after a certain period of close association. Considering all these points, the Chandel people’s protest against the transfer order has a very valid cause. It sounds indigestible if the Deputy Commissioner of a district is changed thrice in a single year as a punitive action. It is another matter if the Government has some well-founded reasons for the recent reshuffle and re-posting. In that case, it is imperative for the state to inform and convince the public that it was necessary. Had the state took a little trouble to explain its move, the present turmoil witnessed in Chandel and Tamenglong districts could have been averted. Whatever it may be, administrative restructuring or otherwise, resorting to transfer and re-posting at an inscrutable rate without any sound policy would certainly prove a serious deterrent to smooth functioning of the district administration. Upright and dedicated an officer may be, it would be more preferable for the people to raise no objection if the officer’s transfer is made according to rules.
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