Retirement no longer means a long permanent vacation for bureaucrats in Uttar Pradesh, particularly those who have been in the good books of their political bosses.
What began as an exception is now turning into a rule and almost every officer who nears retirement expects a plum post-retirement assignment for himself.
The Mayawati government, in particular, has been rather generous in doling out such assignments to retiring IAS and IPS officers and has given maximum post-retirement assignments in the state.
UP DGP Karamvir Singh got his post-retirement gift within hours of completing his service tenure. Singh retired from service on August 31 and the very next day he was appointed as security adviser to the chief minister.
Kapil Dev, a senior IAS officer, took VRS on the eve of his retirement as soon as his appointment as the chairman of the Municipal Property Board was cleared by the state government.
Senior IAS officer Anis Ansari was appointed as vice-chancellor of the newly-founded Kanshi Ram Urdu Arabic Persian University after he retired from service last year.
Another IAS officer Ranjit Singh Pankaj was given a coveted post after retirement. He is currently serving as the Chief Information Commissioner of UP — a post that is eyed by many of his colleagues.
Senior IAS officer S.R. Lakha was appointed as chairman of the UP Public Service Commission after retirement and once he completed his term there, he was succeeded by Mr Malkiat Singh, an IPS officer who took up the assignment immediately after retiring from service.
Commenting on the trend, a retired IAS officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The lust for remaining in the seat of power makes officers opt for post-retirement assignments. And because they want these favours, they go out of their way to please their political bosses during their service term.”
The political leaders, on their part, bestow these favours on bureaucrats because they are assured of their loyalty long after the government is gone.”
Another serving IAS officer in secretary rank was also critical of the trend and said the practice must be stopped. “As soon as a bureaucrat begins to approach retirement, he begins lobbying for an assignment and this reflects on his decisions taken during the last leg of service. There must be a rule to prevent re-employment of IAS officers,” he said.