Various organizations have voiced out against the extension of Dr. P J Anthony’s service as Commissioner & Secretary of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
“It has come to light that the service of the officer in question was set to end on 31 May 2022, however, through unilateral amendments in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat (Recruitment and conditions of service) Rules 1999, the incumbent enhanced the service period to 65 years and also vide a state government notification bearing reference NO:AS/ADDI SECY/CB/2020/314 dated 1st June 2022, the same was extended to 30th November 2025,” the Naga Students’ Federation said.
“It is to the utter dismay of the Federation that the officer in question has been having a joyride by overriding the ban imposed by the state government on the extension of service and re-employment of the government servants who have attained the age of superannuation on completion of 35 of service or otherwise,” NSF wrote in an objection letter to the Chief Secretary, Nagaland.
“If the service of the incumbent becomes indispensable for the smooth functioning of the concerned department, an alternative arrangement (either in the capacity of a consultant or otherwise) to retain his service should be the way forward and not the present arrangement,” NSF observed.
While requesting the chief secretary to ensure that the notification extending the service length of Dr. PJ Anthony is rescinded without further delay, NSF added that it will not tread lightly on the issue of a superannuated government servant being engaged as the administrative head of a department.
The Rising People’s Party have also demanded to quash the appointment of principal secretary to the NLA secretariat. “The UDA government’s decision to extend the service of Dr. P. J. Anthony (Rtd) as Principal Secretary under the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat is a desperate attempt to further subvert the power and authority of an established system,” RPP said in a press statement.
Questioning the UDA government and the Speaker of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on the series of service extension granted to the present Principal Secretary even after his retirement from government service, RPP questioned, “Does this means that the Government of the day does-not trust the capabilities of its own officers or was it abuse of public office for Private gain?”
RPP also said that by extending the service through an amendment, it has set a bad precedent where the employees might do anything to please the bosses for extensions. “The Speaker Sharingain Longkumer should uphold trust, propriety, and ethics in public life instead of turning a deaf ear to the sentiments of the people,” RPP added.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees’ Association (CANSSEA) has also written to the Chief Secretary against the “arbitrary notification” issued by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly which made amendments in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1999 by terming it as “irrational, dictatorial, irresponsible and contradictory to the Nagaland Retirement from Public Employment (Second Amendment) Act 2009 which governs all the employees of the state government.
It was also mentioned that the Nagaland Assembly Secretariat Staff Association being a federating association to the CANSSEA apprised their grievances “which appears to be genuine” and, therefore, CANSSEA deliberated upon the said notification and observed grave abnormalities brought about by the notification in question.
“This Act will create unrest amongst the Nagaland Assembly Secretariat Staff Association supported by the state government employees which will directly affect the smooth functioning of the government,” CANSSEA wrote to the chief secretary and appealed that all government employees be treated as equal, take corrective measures and address the grievances put forth at the earliest.