Completed transfers without resistance, claims Telangana govt

HYDERABAD: Despite initial resistance from employees and teachers besides a political outcry, the government claimed to have ‘successfully convinced’ them and completed the transfer process smoothly in all the districts.

Officials claimed that the decision to give an opportunity to employees to appeal against transfers made them accept the exercise and report to work. A majority of the employees reported to duty by Thursday, according to the government. The government received over 13,000 appeals, mostly 'spouse cases', which were being sorted out, they claimed.

The government is in the process of allotting employees in all departments besides teachers to local cadres and new districts based on new zonal system since the second week of December.

The employees and teachers were allotted taking into consideration the increase in districts from 10 to 33 and creation of six zones and two multi-zones. The government issued GO 317 for this purpose on December 6. Initially there was stiff opposition from employees and teachers unions on transfers who demanded that nativity should be given priority over seniority.

However, after holding talks with unions, the government is said to have convinced them to agree for priority to seniority over nativity in the case of employees and said priority will be given to nativity in the case of fresh recruitments.

All major unions including TNGOs and TGOs extended ‘complete support’ to the government making its job easier to undertake transfers, the officials claimed. There are nearly four lakh government employees and teachers. The government claimed to have ensured that 3.6 lakh employees continue to work in their local districts after transfer. Only 40,000 employees, mostly teachers, were transferred to other districts, taking into consideration the vacancies in schools in remote areas.

The transfers created a political furore with Opposition BJP and the Congress strongly opposing it. BJP Telangana president Bandi Sanjay was arrested and jailed after he staged a protest against transfers.

However, the TRS government heaved a sigh of relief after no major employees union reportedly had come on to the streets to stage protests against transfers. TRS leaders claim that the ‘successful completion of transfers’ proved yet again that employees are with the TRS and that TRS the government is  'employee-friendly'.