SETTLEMENT OF MINUS BALANCES IN SB ACCOUNTS - DRAFT REPLY

Dear Comrades,

 

It has been frequently noticed that most of the Divisional heads are issuing recovery orders arbitrarily for settlement of S B minus balances from the P As without observing usual formalities. Expressing concern over the issue, our CHQ has prepared a draft reply to be submitted by such officials to their respective SPOs/SSPOs which is reproduced below

From: ..........................................                                        .07.2013

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To

The Sr. Superintendent of  Pos.,

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Sir, 

Sub: Settlement of minus balances in SB Accounts at ......... – Reg.

Ref: SSPOs., Letter No……………..…………………….. dated ……………………..

With  reference  to  the  letter    cited ,  it has been mentioned  that , there is negligence on my part, on the  noted  SB accounts  which  resulted  in   minus balance  on the said accounts. Based   on that, a recovery of Rs……………. is  proposed  to be made from my pay and allowances.

In this connection  ,  I am to submit  the  following  for  your   kind  consideration and for issue of  favourable orders.

 

1.  Rule 18 of PO SB General Rules, 1981 empower the Postal Department to recover any excess paid amount paid to the depositor as arrears of Land Revenue from the depositors. Hence I request to initiate action as per the Rule ibid for settlement of the Minus Balance.

2. Further, I was not given any of the  copy of  documents, by which , establishing  that I was actually responsible for the  minus balance, since the noted  dates of transactions were between the year …………… to ……………..  For eg. copy of  nominal role, user code maintenance record containing authorization on the software, print out copy of  my pass word usage on the  said transactions, copy of LOTs concerned , SO SB OM Register, SBCO OM register , SB 46 registers etc. Though, instructed in the  ref., I was not allowed to pursue  with the connected vouchers/supplied with copies of records etc. This is totally a denial of   natural   justice.

3. As per Rule 48 (ii) of PO SB Manual Volume I, the  Ledger Assistant at  HO   should post the entries in the ledgers concerned and any discrepancy  noticed should be  booked into. This was not done in this  case  and  the part of  S.O. SB  is completely hided ,  with a motive to favour on selected interests.

4. As per  Rule 92 (2)  (i) , (ii) , (iii), (v) and Rule 92(3) of PO SB Manual Volume I, Objection registers should be maintained with recordings of  difference in balances at SO SB and  SBCO and  extract should be  sent to S.O.s  to rectify then and there. Monthly statement of the pending objections should be sent to the AO ICO (SB) and  Senior Superintendent to take further action. These were not done in this case and if so  the relevant  records should be  given access to the charged official  to prove his  innocence. 

5. Since  there are  agreements made by the  SBCO   years-to-gether, and list of balances verified through the authorities concerned,     for  any reported  left over/excess/short entries in manual  ledgers/computers  of ……..  years  back,  the official working at S.O. level should not be selectively cornered.

6. As per  Standard Inspection Questionnaire prescribed by the Department , vide  para 27 (ii) and  32(c) checks should be  made by the Inspecting authorities for verification of balances through issuance of SB 46 notices to the depositors concerned, and verification of SO balances concerned with  HOs and  nothing  seems to be done in this case for the past …………….. years and  failure, if any,  is now rushed to be fixed only on the part of  SO level, leaving the Inspecting authorities/Mail Overseers  in a biased manner.

7. No sub- ordinate officers/ inspecting  authorities/SO SB/SBCO officials, are issued with notices  for  recovery of pay, on whose part there are many such  lapses in such of those  cases, and I should not be  singled out for any recovery  in this case.

8. As per Rule 106 of P&T Man. Vol. III , any recovery can be  imposed only when it is established, and in  this case it was not done.

9. As per  Rule 107 of P&T Man.Vol. III ,  the Disc. Authority should  correctly assess in a realistic manner the contributory negligence, and while determining any  omission or lapses on the  loss considered and the extenuating circumstances in which  the duties were performed by the official, shall be given due weight,  but  nothing has been done in this case.

In view of above, it is requested  that   I may be allowed  to go through the  records pertaining  to the periods covered/ supplied with the copies of records as said above,  under which  such  minus balances occurred. Thereafter, I shall give my final reply in this connection.

Thanking you Sir,

Yours faithfully
 

 

 

 

FIGHT AGAINST THE POLICY FIGHTING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE

Postal employees have always taken it as their motto to render best possible services to the people at large. We are conscious of our duties and responsibilities to the Nation. Inpsite of all limitations, we shall continue to discharge our duties towards the people and the Nation. But on the same breath, we want to make it clear that contended staff are always an asset to the Nation and discontentment if allowed to grow, it is bound to affect the services. We do claim that further improvement in the services can be brought out if joint endeavours are made by both Administration and unions. While we have successfully built up a strong movement through our united efforts, we do claim to maintain cordial relations with the administration at different levels – branch/Divisional/Circle and All India.

But our experience hitherto shows that maintaining cordial relation with administration alone will not solve the basic problems faced by the Postal employees. Most of the issues agitating the minds of the Postal employees are due to the overall policy of the Government. Proposed move to permit entry of private sector into Postal services by granting licences to the transnational courier companies, Denial of legitimate rights of the Gramin Dak Sevaks including Civil Servant status and bonus-parity, Non-payment of revised wages to the casual labourers, unjustified abolition of vacant Posts, Refusal to appoint Seventh Pay Commission and Inclusion of GDS under its purview, merger of 50% DA, inhuman 5% restriction on compassionate appointments, introduction of share-market oriented contributory Pension Scheme, non-removal of bonus ceiling, downsizing, outsourcing, contractualisation, corporatization etc are all directly linked with the polices of the Government. Inspite of our sincere cooperation, if things are not moving in the proper direction, we have to be ready for a serious course of action. We can never allow the situation to continue like this which is bound to cause deterioration in services and also adversely affect the interest of the employees. We should analyse and understand the root cause of the problems and shall find out remedy.

The logic of the neo-liberal reforms is maximization of profit and minimization of cost of labour as well as people. Being a capitalist agenda, it operates in that direction in a spontaneous manner. It maximizes profit by keeping the wages suppressed and also by generating a huge army of unemployed as reserve, to facilitate such suppression of wages. Under neo-liberal order it promotes speculation to multiply profit, thereby further aggravating unemployment, price rise and poverty. When it falls into crisis, as have happened at the present juncture, it seeks to shift the entire burden of the crisis to the people and workers. That is why our genuine demands are denied. Hence the fight against the galobalisation policies assumes paramount importance. We have to change this policy and we should continue our fight for an alternative policy.

Alternative to the imperialist globalization policy is nothing else but socialism, complete emancipation of society from all exploitation. Change in the system, or transition of the society, does not happen automatically. The working class, including the Postal employees, has to play a pro-active role in intensifying the struggle and prepare itself to lead the struggle for change in the system. It has to sharpen the struggle further, unifying the entire working class against the neo-liberal policies and rally the people around it to achieve the change. When struggle intensifies, at some point of time they may concede some of our demands. But that is not the end. We should continue our struggle further, till these policies are reversed completely and an alternative system comes into existence. For this we should elevate the consciousness of the workers and heighten the quality of the struggle further. Let us have a clear understanding that the fight against the policy is nothing but fighting for an alternative in the long run, an alternative society which bring an end to the exploitation of one human being by another. Therefore our present day activities must continue to target the present exploitative system, expose its anti-people, anti-working class character.