HC flags govt’s overreliance on service extensions in PWD

PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has taken serious note of the government’s repeated practice of granting service extensions to senior officers in the Public Works Department (PWD), observing that such decisions block promotions and stifle young talent within the system.
A Division Bench of Justice Bharati Dangre and Justice Ashish Chavan made these observations while disposing of a petition filed by Assistant Engineer Pankaj Narvekar, who challenged the extension of service to four senior officials beyond their age of superannuation.
"... we expect the State government, as well as the GPSC, to work out a mechanism so that the State Government shall avoid extending services and continue to infuse young talent to fill these posts by appropriately modifying the Recruitment Rules or the qualifications. In any case, we leave it to the State Government to take a call on this matter, but we hope and trust that the Government will act in this regard with utmost promptness," reads the order.
The petitioner had argued that the PWD’s tendency to extend the tenures of officers past retirement age had clogged the department’s promotional channels, leaving eligible employees waiting indefinitely for a promotion.
While the Court declined to grant Narvekar specific relief since he was recently promoted to Executive Engineer, it strongly criticised the government’s reliance on service extensions, terming it a “sorry state of affairs.”
"It is quite a sorry state of affairs when the Department grants repeated extensions, definitely giving rise to a feeling among the members working in the Department, like the petitioner, that the Department is intentionally doing this to retain the services of these individuals," it said.
The Bench stated that the government must strike a balance between administrative necessity and fairness in promotions.
The Court further reiterated that the State government and the GPSC act with utmost promptness in ensuring a transparent, merit-based system of appointments and promotions.