PCS officers get second extension

The extension was for a fixed period of one year,which meant they could have continued working till December 31,2010. But with just a month left for the contracts to expire,the state government has decided in principle to grant the officers another extension.

The official retirement age for PCS officers is 58 years. The extension is also available to officers who attain the retirement age this year.

While the state government is all set to make an official announcement in this regard in the next 15 days,sources say the chief minister has already approved the decision.

According to official figures,the government has more than 250 PCS-cadre posts in the state,against which it is left with 163 officers,while 36 more are on contract. Almost two dozen more officers are due to retire in the coming two years. With the state assembly elections due in 2011,the main opposition party,Congress,is sure to raise the issue as contractual PCS officers cannot act as electoral returning officers.

Sources in the state’s Home department told The Indian Express that a notification is under process and could be issued in the coming one week,following which the officers due to retire this year or those who are already on contract would be given an extension till December 31,2011.

“The state government,which has been delaying the recruitment of new PCS officers in the state,has already asked Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to recruit more than 100 officers to fill vacant posts in the state after the UPSC turned down its proposal of recruiting PCS officers,” said a senior officer stationed in Chandigarh. “However,the entire cadre of selected candidates will be available only in 2011,which means the state government has no option other than re-employing these officials,” he added.

Punjab Chief Secretary SC Aggarwal also confirmed that the PCS officers would be given a new contract with the terms and conditions remaining unchanged. “Due to shortage of officers in this cadre,there is no other option,but we are hopeful that the newly selected PCS officers would be ready by 2011 as their selection procedure is already underway,” he claimed.