SRINAGAR: The government on Tuesday asked all Administrative Secretaries and Heads of Departments not to permit any officer and official to avail Leave Travel Concession without prior approval of the sanctioning authority.
In a circular, the government noted that the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 2019, notified in terms of S.O 22 dated 03.12.2019 of the Finance Department, provide a detailed procedure for application and grant of Leave Travel Concession for employees of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir.
Amongst other prerequisites, it said, these rules clearly provide that Government employees shall seek prior approval of the sanctioning authority for availing Leave Travel Concession. Further, there is no implicit or explicit provision in the ibid. rules for post-facto sanction of Leave Travel Concession.
“Notwithstanding the above position, it has been observed that officers/officials are proceeding on Leave Travel Concession without obtaining prior approval of the sanctioning authority, in violation of rules/norms,” it said, adding, “It has also been observed that employees are applying for Leave Travel Concession at a belated stage vis-à-vis the intended date(s) of availing the concession, necessitating avoidable referrals to the General Administration Department and Finance Department for post-facto sanction. Insofar as the provisions for relaxation of rules governing the subject are concerned, the same are to be exercised in exceptional cases, which are otherwise not covered. Such referrals, therefore, not only indicate a careless approach of employees who intend to avail Leave Travel Concession, but also reflect poorly on the concerned departments/offices, a matter which has been viewed seriously by the authorities.”
Accordingly, the government impressed upon all Administrative Secretaries/Heads of Departments not to permit any officer/official to avail Leave Travel Concession without prior approval of the sanctioning authority, and to put in place a suitable mechanism for timely disposal of applications under S.O 22 of 2019 dated 03.12.2019. “Further, all Government employees are enjoined upon to strictly adhere to these instructions and apply for Leave Travel Concession well in advance, so as to obviate the necessity of referral to the General Administration Department and Finance Department for post facto sanction in relaxation of rules.”
Administrative Secretaries and HoDs have been asked to take appropriate action against defaulters and not process/recommend any case for post facto sanction henceforth.
