Rescue DG defends timescale promotions
PHOTO: AFP
Director General of Punjab Emergency Service Rescue 1122 Rizwan Naseer has accused Civil Defence Section of home department of misguiding senior officers on different issues, including the recent upgrading of several senior rescue officers on the basis of timescale promotion.
On July 30, the Civil Defence Section wrote a letter to the additional secretary regulations of finance department, pointing out several discrepancies in a notification issued by the DG Rescue 1122 for timescale promotion of 47 officials from grade 17 to 18 and grade 18 to 19. The Civil Defence Section declared the orders illegal and against the spirit of the rules of business of the government, sources said.
In his reply sent to the additional chief secretary home, DG Rizwan Naseer not only defended the orders issued by him for upgrading and posting of rescue officers but also accused the Civil Defence Section of misguiding senior officers.
He said in the letter that it is extremely unfortunate that the Civil Defence Section of the home department is continuously trying to misguide senior officers of the government of Punjab on different issues which have been decided through a number of judgments by the high court. He wrote that the director general is the appointing and competent authority for the officers of BS-16 and above under the Punjab Emergency Service Act 2006 and its rules. He stated that an advice submitted by the secretary regulations in April 2018 had been declared without any substance by the high court.
The letter further read that the high court had mentioned in its judgment dated December 10, 2018 that “Although it is stated that regulations have not yet been framed, from the perusal of Section 27 of the PES Act 2006, it is seen that regulations could not be made inconsistent with the Act 2006 or the rules framed thereunder by the government for the purpose of carrying out of the Punjab Emergency Service Act 2006”.
Regarding the matter of upgraded senior district emergency officers in BS-19, the rescue service DG said the post is clearly reflected in the Budget Book 2020-21, which was re-designated as regional emergency officer under the Punjab Emergency Service Financial Rules 2007 to avoid any confusion between the abbreviation of the post of district and divisional emergency officers (DEO) for the smooth working of Punjab Emergency Service. Furthermore, the senior district emergency officers upgraded in BS-19 have only been assigned the responsibilities of regional emergency officers and not appointed against the posts.
It concluded that the timescale upgrade of the rescue officers has been done in pursuance to a finance department notification issued on April 19, last year and subsequent clarifications in which there was no bar on autonomous bodies to be included in the up-gradation. It called for setting aside the objections to avoid further disgruntlement amongst hardworking emergency officers who have completed 10 years of regular service.
The spokesperson for Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) Farooq Ahmad also said that timescale upgrade is the right of the rescue officers upon completion of 10 years of regular and good service like other officers of government departments. He said the director general issued the notification after scrutiny of service record by the human resource wing.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2020.