Acting on a complaint, the constitutional anti-graft body issued the directive Monday after it found that the transfer of Annapurna Das, the director general of the Department of Forests, to the Department of Plant Resources was in violation of the general principles envisioned in the Civil Service Act. [break]
Minister for Forests and Social Conservation Wakil Musalman had removed Das in October after obtaining consent from the Ministry of General Administration and had appointed a junior Joint Secretary Braja Kishor Yadav, who was director at the eastern regional office of the Department of Forests in Biratnagar.
Das was then transferred to the Department of Plant Resources though his expertise did not match with the new responsibilities.
The constitutional anti-graft body said that appointment of a junior joint secretary as the head of the Department of Forests would have adverse effects on the organizational structure at the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation and discourage senior officials.
It further added that that the transfer of Das to the Department of Plant Resources cannot be taken as an appropriate decision as he has been transferred to a different service group.
While issuing the directive, the CIAA has also warned of action against the forest minister and the forest secretary and general administration secretary if the transfer is not corrected within the given deadline. It also said it would investigate the minister and the secretaries over the transfer if its directive is not heeded.
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