CM justifies CS’s service extension
SHILLONG: Amid hue and cry over extension of service of Chief Secretary WMS Pariat, Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma has justified the government’s decision saying it will help provide good governance.
Stating that it is always good to have diverse views on the issue, Dr Sangma, however, maintained, that he did not see anything wrong in extending the service of Pariat for another six months.
“The State Government requires the service of Pariat at present since most of our senior officers are under tremendous work pressure. One person has to look after several departments. We, therefore, felt that utilizing a senior officer for some more time would help provide better governance,” the Chief Minister said over telephone while returning from Tura to Shillong on Monday.
Dr Sangma, further, said the extension of just six months will not create any negative impact and will not affect any officer also.
“We should instead be thankful that he (Pariat) agreed to serve the state despite being eligible for retirement,” the Chief Minister added.
Govt set an unhealthy trend: NPP
Meanwhile, Opposition NPP on Monday said that the Government has created a bad precedent and unhealthy trend in giving extension to Pariat.
NPP legislator James Sangma said that according to him, it is always healthier to give way to the senior official who is next in line to be appointed as the Chief Secretary.
The decision toextend service to Pariat will definitely affect the morale of any officer, who is eagerly waiting to be appointed to the post, Sangma said.
Bureaucracy should function in certain way which includes the need to carry on with succession, he said.
“If there is no succession, it is unhealthy and moreover, the Government has created a bad precedent,” Sangma said, adding that this will give scope for manipulations in future.
Reacting to one explanation given by the Chief Minister that it was for the smooth conduct of upcoming elections that extension was given, the NPP legislator said that the Chief Secretary is not here to conduct elections as there is already a Chief Electoral Officer.
The Chief Minister is thinking only about elections, but the role of Chief Secretary is not just to conduct the elections, he said
On the Chief Minister’s stand that other bureaucrats are over burdened, hence extension was given to the Chief Secretary, the NPP legislator said,” If the bureaucrats are over burdened, it is due to the lack of proper leadership and this shows that the Chief Minster is inefficient”.
Earlier on Sunday, the KSU had opposed the move of the State Government to extend the service of Pariat terming it as an ‘unjustified decision’.
KSU general secretary Auguster Jyrwa in a statement had said that this decision to extend the service by the Government is like demeaning the capability of the other IAS officers who are next on the line to take over as the new Chief Secretary.