By CL Jose
Many officers are on ‘personal tour’ without availing leave
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/March 30-2022: The Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB) has decided to put its foot down on senior officers absenting themselves from the office unlawfully without proper permission from the competent authority.
A KSEBL circular to this end has said without mincing words that several senior officers at KSEBL have made it a practice to leave the office without a proper intimation to attend to their personal needs at their will with impunity. KSEBL has sent out an unambiguously worded circular hinting at stringent disciplinary action or major penalty against the delinquent officers in this regard.
The strongly-worded circular begins by stating, “It has come to the notice of KSEBL that there persists an unlawful as well as impermissible practice of Heads of offices proceeding on personal tours or attending to personal affairs without properly applying for eligible leave or taking order to hold charge formally from the reporting officer or competent authority of KSEBL, which is meant to offer a statutory essential service in the state.”
It added that the said practice is highly irregular, and such movement out of jurisdiction/state without due approval of the authorities concerned, needs to be treated as unauthorised absence.
KSEBL circular warned that no officer or staff shall proceed to self-availing leave or proceed out of jurisdiction without formal granting of leave through orders and specific charge arrangements to be ordered by the competent superior authority.
“Any infringement to this will be viewed very seriously, and stringent disciplinary action or major penalty shall be initiated against the delinquent officer in this regard,” the circular stated.
