BENGALURU, 11 JULY

There is brewing discontent within Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) Animal Husbandry Department as it faces accusations of unfair transfer practices, with newcomers being transferred despite incomplete tenures while long-serving officials remain in place.

According to an RTI, a copy of which is available with Salar News, new officials who haven’t even completed five years in their current positions have been transferred.

This contradicts departmental norms, which mandate a minimum five-year tenure before transfers.

Meanwhile, the RTI reveals that 21 officials have served over eight years in their current roles, and an additional 20 have served more than five years, yet they have not been transferred.

The affected newcomers have appealed to the Animal Husbandry Ministry to intervene and halt their transfers. They argue that the transfers violate regulations and disrupt departmental operations.

“The rules are clear: officials cannot be away from their home department for more than five years. Yet, our department has over 21 officials who have been here for close to eight years. Frequent transfers, even of officials who have only served two years, disrupt operations and project continuity,” A BBMP official told Salar News on the condition of anonymity.

These concerns align with recommendations made by the Fifth Pay Commission, which reportedly advised against frequent transfers and suggested setting minimum tenures for each position.  The transfer of the newcomers leads to a delay in projects.

A few projects that will be put on hold are the animal birth control programme for stray dogs and anti-rabies vaccination programme, the first modern slaughterhouse at Kanakapura in which animal waste will be processed into protein-packed products for the first time in the State, a place to set up to host antemortem and post-mortem examinations of animals and many other projects.   

Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh did not respond to the comments.  —Salar News