Promotions, transfers and postings in the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) have come to a standstill, as it is learnt that delay in CBEC cadre restructuring has left more than 200 top slots vacant.

A substantial number of vacancies at senior positions in the Excise, customs and service tax departments under CBEC are yet to be notified. Sources suggest approximately 200 posts of Principal Chief Commissioners, Chief Commissioners, Principal Commissioners as well as Commissioners (Apex, HAG+, SAG scales) are lying vacant since October 15, the date of implementation of cadre restructuring.

The Department of Promotion Committee meetings are underway. The DPCs have to submit its proposal to the appointment committee of cabinet through Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. The PMO’s nod is required to go the proposal before appointment committee of cabinet (ACC).

The Pending proposals and promotions and senior level posts that are lying vacant for over one month now has led the Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax departments to miss its revenue targets and indirect taxes collections for this year.

They had a tax collection target of Rs 6.23 lakh crore for the current fiscal year (2014-15) and this cadre restructuring delay in the CBEC has led to the government missing its tax collection target.

However, over 2,100 officers working as Superintendents in customs and Central Excise were promoted purely on ad-hoc basis to the level of Assistant Commissioners (Junior Time Scale) in cadre restructuring of CBEC but they would not confer any rights for regular promotions and seniority in the grade of Assistant Commissioner.

They were made Assistant Commissioners on ad-hoc basis to fill vacancies in CBEC’s temporary posts of Assistant Commissioner (Junior Time Scale), operational for five years under cadre restructuring.

CBEC made this modification under cadre restructuring to make up for stagnation in the grade of superintendent for the time being.

The above promotion from the Superintendents to Assistant Commissioners on ad-hoc basis is a cruel joke to the Superintendent grade under CBEC who faces a long stagnation about to 20 years, while their peers, Income tax officers, in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) get the promotion up to Joint Commissioner/Additional Commissioner during this period.

Source:tkbsen.in