TRANSFER POLICY IN SURVEY OF INDIA

1. Transfer/Placement Policy 2009
Introduction:
The Department of Science & Technology has taken a major initiative on Administrative Reforms in Survey of India and has emphasized greater transparency and minimum discretion in its functioning. Formulation of transfer/placement policy is one such step. Further, for an effective administrative mechanism there is need for credible human resource development policy which offers opportunities for excellence and career advancement through proper placement.
All employees of the Survey of India are liable to be transferred and posted anywhere in India as per requirement of public service and Department’s endeavour should be that this right is exercised in the best interest of the organization and its employees.

A committee of following officers was constituted vide DST’s letter No. SM/01/10/2008 (Pt-2) dated 06 Jan 2009 to Evolve Transfer Policy based on professional competence and need for rotation of Group A & B employees of the Department
1. Maj Gen Tavinder Paul, Addl SG (HR&Adm) Chairman
2. Shri Vipin Chandra, DAF Member
3. Shri Naveen Tomar, DSG (SGO) Member
Terms of References:
i) Recommendations to be based on effective organization and accountability as applicable
ii) Interaction with environment to meet aspirations in keeping with performance.
iii) While suggesting measures/recommendations keeping in mind work culture, minimum disturbances/upheaval and resource availability
iv) Plan change to be progressive and transparency to facilitate acceptability.
2. Definitions
Dependent Children including legally adopted children, step children and children taken as wards: As defined vide Min of Health and FW OM No. S-14025/29/89-MS dated 5.6.1990 and OM No. 4-24/96-C&P-CGHS (P) dated 31.5.2007.
Employee spouse- This means spouse who is a paid employee in any Govt/Public organization and not a self employed spouse
Zone: A group of stations where GDCs/subordinate offices are located or as specified by the Department.
Station: It means any place and includes other places situated within vicinity of50km
Home Station: A station, nearest to his declared Home Town as mentioned in the service book, where SOI office is located
Tenure: A continuous stay on a station for a specific period as defined for different categories of employees for different stations
Service: Means the period for which a person has been holding charge of a post on a regular basis in the department.
Choice Station: The place where an employee desires to be posted, not necessarily his home station
3. Categories of Transfer
a) Transfer on Administrative Grounds
b) Transfer on Repatriation
c) Transfer on Compassionate Ground
4. Transfer on Administrative Grounds
The employees can be transferred on following administrative grounds:
i. On completion of Tenure at a station based on functional requirement.
ii. To fill up vacancies occurring due to superannuation/promotion or any other reason.
iii. On other administrative exigencies e.g. Disciplinary action under rule 14 of the CCS (CC&A) Rules 1965; in case of recommendation of initiation of vigilance proceedings against any employee, he should not normally be posted or remain posted at same station where the cause of vigilance proceedings originated and this will be in operation till closure of vigilance case.
iv. Not withstanding anything contained in this policy, govt. may, if necessary in public interest, transfer or post any officer at any station or post.
5. Transfer on Repatriation
It stipulates transfer on repatriation as per laid down tenure of service at a particular station as given in ‘Para 7 – Tenure of service at a station’, subject to availability of vacancies.
Group ‘A’ officers may be repatriated only on completion of their tenure at a particular station subject to availability of vacancies while Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ employees may be repatriated to their home station after completion of minimum tenure of 3 years subject to availability of vacancies.
The repatriation cases will be considered by the placement committee during January-March of the year, therefore repatriation list must be received in Surveyor General’s Office by 15th December.
6. Transfer on Compassionate Ground
1. Posting of Husband and Wife at the same station:
Instructions as issued vide DoPT OM No. 28034/2/97-Estt.(A) Dated 12th June 1997, will be followed.
2. Medical Reasons:
Transfer of an employee seeking transfer on the basis of medical reasons affecting himself/herself, spouse or dependent son/daughter may be considered after due verification from a Medical Board if necessary.
3. Physically challenged employee
Physically challenged employee shall be considered for transfer under this clause. Definitions of Categories of Disabilities have been given in Para 8 of DoPT OM No. 36035/3/2004-Estt (Res) Dated 29th December 2005 on the subject ‘Reservation for the Persons with Disabilities’.
4. Employee due for Superannuation:
An employee may request for the last posting at his choice station before his superannuation which should not be more than 2 years. It will be considered as far as possible.
7. Tenure of Service at a station
The transfer/placement policy envisages a fixed tenure at a station before consideration of any transfer on the stipulated grounds as indicated below.
Maximum Tenure at a Station Transfer on Promotion Transfer on Compassionate ground Transfer on
Repatriation
Ground Minimum Tenure at NE Region
Maximum Tenure at
IIS&M Hyderabad
Group A 3+1* Yes Yes On completion of maximum tenure subject to availability of vacancy 2/3** 3+1$
Group B 5 Yes Yes On completion of tenure of 3 years subject to availability of vacancy 2/3** 5
Group C
Tech. NA # Yes @ Yes On completion of tenure of 3 years subject to availability of vacancy 2/3** 5+1 $
Group C
Non Tech. NA # Yes @ Yes On completion of tenure of 3 years subject to availability of vacancy 2/3** NA
* Extendable by 1 year
** Concessions of fixed tenure as admissible when posted to NE region will be applicable$ Extendable by 1 year on recommendations of screening committee
@ In situ promotion shall be granted only after adjustment of all eligible repatriation cases at the choice/home station.
Tenure criteria may be relaxed for stations like Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Gandhinagar, Jammu, Silchar and Lucknow where there is shortage of Group B and C staff. The personnel who are willing to continue there may be retained for longer period till the strength of GDC is stabilized.
# As a matter of policy, the Group ‘C’ personnel will be moved only on promotion and/or if there is a functional requirement.
8. Placement committee
a) For Addl SG
Chairman: Secretary DST
Members: Surveyor General of India
Joint Secretary (A)
Member Secretary: Director (SMP)
b) For Group ‘A’: Director and below:
Chairman: Surveyor General of India
Members: Addl. SG (HR) Addl SG Zone (on rotation)
Member Secretary: Asstt Surveyor General
Co-opted member: From Group ‘A’ Officers Association for suggestion if any
Note: 1. Addl SG (Adm) will preside in absence of Surveyor General of India.
In such eventuality the proposal of posting will be recommended to the DST.
2. The Addl SG Zone will be on rotation from Army and civilian streams.
c) Group ‘B’ and Group ‘C’ Div I & Div II
Chairman: Addl SG (HR)
Members: Dy Surveyor General (SGO)
Member Secretary: Asstt Surveyor General
Co-Opted Member: A member of concerned association for suggestion if any
d) For Group ‘D’
Chairman: Dy Surveyor General (SGO)
Member Secretary: Asstt Surveyor General
9. Salient Features of Transfer Policy
i. Transfer should be need based and purely in the interest of functional requirements of the Department.
ii. In the event of closure, reorganization, reduction in posts, shifting of the whole or part of the GDC, the tenure shall not be considered and change of station in such cases shall be compulsorily enforceable without reference to this transfer policy.
iii. An employee may request for last posting at his choice station before his superannuation, the period of which shall not be more than 2 years. It will be considered as far as possible subject to availability of vacancy.
iv. In the event of completion of tenure at a particular station by any employee then the Govt. servant who has served for longer period in the station/home zone/zone will be moved first. In case period of stay stands equal then the officer having minimum transfers will be transferred first.
v. To have a wider exposure, Group ‘A’ and ‘B’ officers shall have at least one tenure in the specialized directorates viz G&RB/ GIS&RS/NGDC/DMC/MA&DC/Printing Groups in their service career.
vi. Posting of Technical manpower ie. Group ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ personnel to IIS&M will be done through Screening Committee.
vii. Army Officers will have minimum 25% of the service span in the Military Survey Units.
viii. Provisions regulating transfers shall be liberally relaxed in the case of life threatening diseases like cancer, AIDS or that requiring highly specialized medical treatment either to the employee himself or member of his/her family.
ix. DOPT’s guidelines issued vide their OM No. 14014/41/90-Estt (RR) dt. 10-5-1999 read with OM No. AB-14017/16/2002 Estt (A) dt.13-3-2002 in respect of physically handicapped employees and OM No. AB-14017/49/90 Estt (RR) dt 15-02-1991 in respect of the employees having mentally retarded child/spouse etc. shall be observed.
x. The cases for transfer on medical grounds shall be thoroughly examined by the Placement Committee and can be referred to medical board if required.
xi. All technical officers in Group ‘A’ establishment should have at least ONE tenure (if possible in early part of their career) in any of the GDCs in NE region.
xii. Certain special concessions and service benefits are admissible to officers transferred to NE region. There will be fixed tenure:
a) For staff with service of 10 years or less 3 years
b) For staff with more than 10 years of service 2 years
Period of leave, training etc. in excess of 15 days per year will be excluded in counting the tenure. However the period may be extended in exceptional cases in exigencies of public service or when the employee concerned is prepared to stay longer. On completion of fixed tenure officers may be considered for posting to a station of their choice as far as possible subject to availability of vacancy. The employees posted at NE Region may therefore give 3 choice stations in order of priority for consideration before completion of their tenure.
xiii. An officer shall not be posted for more than ten years in the entire service career in NE region except if the officer is the native of such place and/or wishes to be posted there for personal reasons.
xiv. Cases for transfer on compassionate grounds should be forwarded to the SGO with proper scrutiny and objective comments by the Director of the GDC concerned.
xv. Yearly repatriation list shall be maintained by the Surveyor General’s Office.
xvi. Option for posting of officers who complete their tenure as per this policy at a particular station shall be forwarded by 31st December to the Surveyor General’s Office every year.
xvii. An employee will be transferred out on promotion, even in case of his denial to accept the promotion.
xviii. Representation if any will be put up to Placement Committee for its decision within one month of its receipt.
xix. Posting orders need to be implemented within the stipulated time frame.
xx. In order to meet the requirement of repatriation and rationalization of postings, all the DPCs are required to be completed during the month of September-December of the year and posting/repatriation finalized by the placement committee between January-March of the next calendar year so that adequate time is given to the personnel to plan their children academic admission before posting out.
xxi. For counting the tenure, the reference date shall be first April of the year. Tenure of nine months or more in a financial year will be counted as one year.
xxii. Transfer of Chief Executives/ General Secretary of the union may be brought on transfer to the Headquarters of the administrative head as far as possible as per Govt of India, Ministry of Home Affairs OM No. 26/3/69-Estt. (B), dated 8th April 1969.
xxiii. The postings of Group ‘C’ employees will be done in the following five Zonal groups as far as possible, subject to availability of vacancies:
Group 1 Northern Zone + Western Zone + Specialized Zone excluding GIS&RS Directorate
Group 2 Southern Zone + Central Zone + GIS& RS Directorate
Group 3 North Eastern Zone + Eastern Zone
Group 4 Printing Zone (for all the printing staff)
Group 5 IIS&M (through screening committee from all the directorates)