The phenomenon of IAS Cadre posts being given to officers from other services have become rather a norm and so is resentment among cadre officers over it.
Earlier it was the state of Andhra Pradesh and now it is the turn of the power corridors of Haryana, where IAS Officers complain of usurping of IAS Cadre posts by officers from other services, being seen as an attempt of the state government to shrink their domain space. Senior Haryana Cadre officers complain of the state government appointing their favoured officers in IAS Cadre postings, irrespective of the services they represent.
If a recent transfer order issued by the state government is an indicator, the Haryana IAS cadre’s concerns are somehow genuine. In a recent major bureaucratic reshuffle in the state, an IPS officer is given Principal Secretary’s post, while another is given the charge of Managing Director of one of the power utilities and another IFS officer is given the post of Principal Secretary. All these postings are normally the domains of senior IAS Officers, causing heartburn among the IAS officers of Haryana cadre and promoted officers of the state civil services. Adding further insult to the injury the state government posting DSPs and Employment Officers against the post of District Transport Officers (DTOs).
Senior Haryana Cadre IAS officers on condition of anonymity vehmently criticise such attempts of the state government and term it illegal and reckless, where laid-down procedures are being ignored and an experimental approach is being followed. Many IAS Officers also feel that, if senior police officers are not needed for policing, as evident from the Administrative posts being allocated to them, the Home Secretary should review the cadre strength and reduce it rather than wasting the taxpayers’ money. They also ask, though in hushed tones, in a state marred by constant law and order issues in recent times, IPS Cadre should be left to focus on policing, rather than positions such as the Chairman of the Police Housing Corporation, that require administrative experience. Similarly, a number of vacant posts in the Indian Forest Service, where no domain expertise is required, the government should consider posting IAS officers for their proven and better administrative strengths.
In other words, the IAS Cadre feel threatened due to this continuous influx of officeres from other services in domains which generally are manned by them. They also express apprehensions that today it’s IPS officers, tomorrow even cadre from CRPF and BSF can be brought in their place, shrinking and undermining the career prospects of the IAS Officers of Haryana cadre.
However, when contacted, our sources in the government, however, defended the state government’s decision on account of IAS officers being “overloaded” with departments, which comes in the way of smooth working, hence the government attempting to utilise the available resources to their maximum.
