No LTC without prior approval of sanctioning authority: GAD
Jammu, Apr 25: J&K government has asked all administrative secretaries and Heads of Departments (HoDs) not to permit any officer or official to avail Leave Travel Concession (LTC) without prior approval of the sanctioning authority.
It has also instructed them to put in place a suitable mechanism for the timely disposal of applications under S O 22 of 2019 dated December 3, 2019.
Besides, the government employees have been ordered to strictly adhere to instructions and apply for Leave Travel Concession well in advance, to obviate the necessity of referral to the General Administration Department and Finance Department for post facto sanction in relaxation of rules.
With the direction to the Administrative Secretaries and HoDs to take appropriate action against defaulters, the government has also instructed them not to process or recommend any case for post facto sanction henceforth.
These directions have been issued, while taking serious note of the fact that officers or officials are proceeding on LTC without obtaining prior approval of the sanctioning authority, in violation of rules or norms.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Leave Travel Concession) Rules, 2019, notified in terms of S.O 22 dated 03.12.2019 of the Finance Department, provide a detailed procedure for application and grant of Leave Travel Concession for employees of the government of Jammu & Kashmir. Amongst other prerequisites, these rules provide that government employees shall seek prior approval from the sanctioning authority for availing LTC. Further, there is no implicit or explicit provision in the ibid, rules for post-facto sanction of LTC,” GAD Commissioner Secretary Sanjeev Verma stated.
“Notwithstanding this position, it has been observed that officers or officials are proceeding on Leave Travel Concession without obtaining prior approval of the sanctioning authority, in violation of rules. It has also been observed that employees are applying for LTC at a belated stage vis-a-vis the intended date(s) of availing the concession, necessitating avoidable referrals to the General Administration Department and Finance Department for post-facto sanction. In so far as the provisions for relaxation of rules governing the subject are concerned, the same are to be exercised in exceptional cases, which are otherwise not covered,” Verma noted with concern.
He stated that such referrals, therefore, not only indicated a careless approach of employees who intended to avail LTC but also reflected poorly on the concerned departments or offices, a matter which had been viewed seriously by the authorities.
Verma directed strict compliance of all these instructions.