Lok Ayukta recommends transfer policies

Bangalore, Sep 23 (UNI) Karnataka Lok Ayukta and former Supreme Court judge Justice N Santosh Hedge has urged the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) to make suitable recommendations regarding transfer policies, both in the Central and State Government level, to strengthen good governance.

In a letter to ARC Chairman M Veerappa Moily, a copy of which was released to the media here today, he suggested the transfers should be left to the bureaucracy itself, without any interference from the Ministry concerned.

The Lok Ayukta opined that Statewide transfers should be done on the recommendations of a Committee, comprising the Chief Secretary, the next senior most Secretary and the Secretary of the Department in which the transfer was sought to be effected.

Justice Hedge said ''transfers based on the recommendations of persons not connected with the Government in any way, which includes elected representatives, will certainly lead to corruption and undue favours being shown in favour of such beneficiaries...Such transfers will certainly have an adverse effect on the performance of the Government.'' He said there should be a minimun of three years' fixed duration for the officers' stay in a particular post, which should not be normally reduced or enlarged, except for good reasons to be recorded in writing.

UNI RM GD PA KN1818