The CBDT has issued a stern Office Memorandum dated 07.08.2015 stating that officers/staff of the income Tax Department are leaving their stations/headquarters early on Fridays, during weekend and holidays and joining their duties late on next working day. It is further stated that many a times no permission is being taken from the superior controlling authorities before leaving location/headquarters as required under the rules. It is stated that apart from disturbing decorum and office discipline, this practise of leaving stations/headquarters by the officers /staff without prior permission and not observing the office timings, is causing inconvenience to the taxpayers and members of public who visit income tax offices in connection with their tax matters either by prior appointment or otherwise. This has been viewed adversely by the Chairperson, CBDT. The CBDT has warned that failure to obtain permission of competent authority before leaving station/headquarters is to be viewed seriously and may entail disciplinary action. It is also stated that Article 56 of the Civil Service Regulations also provides that no officer is entitled to pay and allowance for any time he may spend beyond the limits of his charge without authority.
F.No. Dir (Hqrs.)/Ch. (DT)/29/2013
Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
(Central Board of Direct Taxes }
Room No.155, North Block, New Delhi,Dated the 7th August, 2015
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Instructions regarding requirement of taking prior permission by officers/staff for leaving stations/ headquarters-reg.
It has been brought to the notice of the Board that some officers/staff of the income Tax Department are leaving their stations/headquarters early on Fridays, during weekend and holidays and joining their duties late on next working day. It is further noticed that many a times no permission is being taken from the superior controlling authorities before leaving location/headquarters as required under the rules. It is stated that apart from disturbing decorum and office discipline, this practise of leaving stations/headquarters by the officers /staff without prior permission and not observing the office timings, is causing inconvenience to the taxpayers and members of public who visit income tax offices in connection with their tax matters either by prior appointment or otherwise. This has been viewed adversely by the Chairperson, CBDT.
In this connection it may be stated that existing instructions of the Government on the subject issued vide DoPT OM No.11013/7/94-Eatt(A) dated 18.05.1994, and subsequent clarifications issued thereon from time to time, clearly stipulate that permission for leaving station/headquarters is essential before a Government servant leaves his station/headquarters.
Failure to obtain permission of competent authority before leaving station/headquarters is to be viewed seriously and may entail disciplinary action .Moreover Article 56 of the Civil Service Regulations also provides that no officer is entitled to pay and allowance for any time he may spend beyond the limits of his charge without authority.
The undersigned is therefore directed to request all cadre controlling Pr. Chief Commissioners of Income Tax /Pr. Directors general of Income Tax to instruct all the officers and staff working in offices under their cadre control to refrain from leaving their station /headquarters without prior permission and to strictly observe the prescribed office timings. Necessary instructions may be issued to all field formations in this regard tbr strict compliance under intimation to the I3oard immediately.
This issues with the approval of Chairperson CBDT.
Dr. B. K. Sinha
CIT(C&S), CBDT
Shri H R Anthala is absolutely right. Such problems are countless. No one bothers. Is the Hon’ble FM Arun Jaitely listening?
Make every officer accountable to respond to every letter petitioned to him. Otherwise nothing is going to improve. Genuine tax payers would keep on getting harassed from IT officials. No relief/remedy.
Hari Ramji. Your case is a pathetic one. There are more others who are frequently transferred. Your feelings are quite right.
Incidentally I may mention a group of people in Hyderabad whose arrears had been recovered in one cheque as long back as 11-01-1995. The recovered amounts were not allocated towards their individual taxes dues. Now after the group people had won in appeals up to High Court level, the department is not refunding the moneys for the reasons best known to them. The group people approached the President of India, Prime Minister, Finance Minister and what not – all sources. Yet the people have not received the refunds.
Sir,
Te staff is not bothered for services to public. They do not like to as there is no work culture. Theyn have adopted the tactics to harass the general public and not performing their duties sincerely. They have been misusing the powers. I am enclosing the attachment for your necessary looking into and taking action accordingly because I am sufferer.
I had filed IT Return in 2008 at Bhagalpur for refund when I was posted at Sultanganj Branch of UCO Bank. I was compulsory retired frommbank in Sept, 2008. The refund order was received late. I deposited the refund order with Bhagalpur office for renewal. They refused to renew. and stated that the amount will be deposited in your account. Lastly after taking up the matter under RTI and with Commissioner IT Bhagalpur. They sent my case to IT Officer Ambala Cantt for making the refund. It is 2015. Till date no refund has been made neither by Bhagalpur Office nor by Ambala Cantt Office. During my visit to ITO Ambala Cantt the concerned ITO assured that they will give you manual cheque. Till today nothing has been given like Kapil COMEDY BABA JI KA THULU. I wiil send you all correspomdence
Thanking you,
Truly .yours,
( Hari Ram Anthala)
The bio-metric system said to have been initiated had not reached to the ground level. It is also understood that there are certain attempts to create one such bio-metric system near the residential quarters situated in Road No 12 / Road No. 10 Banjara Hills where many of the bosses reside and they can register their attendance attendance. For the luck of the public this is said to have not materialised yet.
This is not week-end practice but regular one. Officers & staff rarely join their duties on time. After joining duties formal work does not start before 12.00/12.30 noon because gossiping and newspaper reading is must.
This memo seems to have been issued in most casual manner without doing proper ground work.
No change in attitude with change in Government. Only the God can save our country or Internal Emergency although I do not favour any sort of Emergency.
CBDT has been issueing such Instructions periodically. I have seen/read them for about 40 years, right from the stages of the LDC to the Addl.Commissioner. I tried to implement these Instructions faithfully, when I was ITO, ACIT, Addl.CIT ; but I landed myself in trouble. My subordinate staff used to make complaints against me to the Higher Authorities. Some courageous Officers supported me. But majority of them were timid, mortally afraid of Staff Unions. They advised me to allow them to live in peace and enjoy retirement happily. One such timid CIT retired as the Chairman of the CBDT. He even divested me of my Supervisory Duties. If the CIT/CCIT do not support subordinate Supervisory Officers, no body will take risk of being de-famed. Only way to cure this situation is to invoke Rule 56(j) of the Fundamental Rules against erring officials. This Rule was freely used in the Emergency of 1975 and staff of all Govt. offices, post offices, railways, banks etc. had become punctual. There was Fear of being sent home. Unfortunately there is no mechanism in place in the Incometax Department for invoking this Rule and most of the Officers are unaware of any such Rule. My humble request to the present Chair-person to take periodical review for the purposes of Rule 56(j) and prescribe some QUOTA to the CCIT for that purpose. From: b.s.waghela , Addl.CIT (Retd.)
The issue of this sort is new one. It was on vogue since 5 days Week had been introduced. Many bureaucrats earlier had availed this practice and many had fought against this practice. The attempt appears to show off their existence.