Property details not furnished, govt plans action against 2,100 officers

Ruchika M. Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 25

The state government has started issuing notices to 2,100 officers for their failure to upload details of their property returns on the state government's new website.

Sources in the Personnel Department confirmed to The Tribune that the process of issuing notices to the errant officers had been initiated.

The idea is to bring transparency in the functioning of these officers.

The returns had to be submitted by December 31. The officers were asked to furnish entire data about the property that they acquired after joining service.

While the PCS officers who have not filed their returns are being issued show-cause notices by the Personnel Department, the other Group-A and B officers are being taken to task by their respective departments. In all, 33,000 officers were asked to start filing their returns from 2014 onwards. Of them, 30,886 officers have filed their returns while 2,114 have failed in doing so.

The process to file returns was initiated in September last, and the officers would have to file their returns annually.

The Group-A comprises officers having grade pay of Rs 5,400 to Rs 10,000, including PCS and other state-cadre officers, under secretaries, superintendents, etc. The Group-B consists of officers having grade pay less than Rs 5,400, including senior assistants and above.

The mandatory details for them to be mentioned include information about moveable and immoveable property in their name and that of their dependants.

All IAS officers are already bound by the Department of Personnel and Training, Union Government, to file property returns of a year by January-end of the following year, failing which promotion and empanelment to senior-level postings can be denied.