By IANS,
Shimla : Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh Saturday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for abolishing a tribunal that hears the complaints of state government employees.
He said the move was against the BJP’s election manifesto in which it had promised not only to strengthen the tribunal but also to set up its permanent benches at Mandi and Dharamsala.
The government Friday announced that “the administrative tribunal stands abolished from July 8”.
“The main reason for the abolition of the administrative tribunal was that Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was annoyed by a large number of stays given by the tribunal to government employees,” Singh said in a release here.
“Ever since the BJP government assumed office, thousands of government employees have been shifted on political considerations,” he said.
When a large number of employees were transferred in violation of the transfer policy, the tribunal or any court was bound to take cognizance and give relief to the affected employees, he added.
More than 20,000 cases are currently pending with the tribunal.
The state government has decided that the employees working in the tribunal would be adjusted against the vacancies in the high court and government departments.