GST Department promotions: Employees allege seniority norms ignored

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second phase of reorganisation in the State GST Department has triggered allegations of violations of seniority norms, with employees claiming that the changes have deprived most of them of promotion opportunities. Seniority was allegedly ignored while making promotions to six senior posts. The reorganisation is also alleged to favour directly recruited employees by giving them better opportunities.

Six Deputy Commissioners in the State Goods and Services Tax Department have been promoted to the post of Joint Commissioner. State Tax Commissioner P.B. Nooh issued an order assigning the additional charge of the posts vacated by them to six other officers.

The charge held by P.S. Sivarajan, Deputy Commissioner of the Irinjalakuda Audit Division, was handed over to P. Ratheesh, Deputy Commissioner of the Thrissur Audit Division-II. S. Leena, who served as Deputy Commissioner in the office of the State Tax Commissioner, was replaced by H.S. Shana, Deputy Commissioner of the Data Analytics Division in the same office.

The charge of V. Saritha, Deputy Commissioner and Law Officer in Kozhikode, was handed over to T. Swapna, Deputy Commissioner of the Kozhikode South Taxpayer Services Division. Similarly, the charge held by C.R.K. Surjith, Deputy Commissioner in the office of the State Tax Commissioner, was assigned to C. Brijesh, Deputy Commissioner of the Personnel Division in the same office. The charge of A.B. Veena, who served as Deputy Commissioner, was handed over to S. Lenin, Deputy Commissioner of the Advance Ruling Cell. Meanwhile, K.P. Jayaraj, Deputy Commissioner of the Kannur Audit Division-I, was replaced by C.M. Sunil Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of the Kannur Intelligence Wing. The employees have also alleged that general transfers and restructuring across various posts, including those of Deputy Commissioners, were not taken into consideration.