Uttarakhand Assembly repeals 'anti-employee' Transfer Act

Dehra Dun, Jun 4 (PTI) A stringent law enacted by the previous BJP Government making transfer of state employees compulsory to remote areas was today repealed by the Uttarakhand Assembly. The Annual Transfer (Repeal) Bill, 2012, which seeks to scrap the Transfer Act was passed by voice vote amid noisy walkout by main opposition BJP, which wanted the proposed legislation to be referred to a select committee. Winding up the debate on the bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh described the Transfer Act as a "blind law", which she said had lots of shortcomings and loopholes that went against the interest of government employees. The Act had been enforced during the chief ministership of B C Khanduri, who had claimed it had been done to remove corruption and manipulation and it was in the interest of the employees and the people of the state. Opposing the Repeal Bill, Leader of the Opposition Ajya Bhatt said, "The bill was brought by BJP in the larger interest of the state as most of the government employees refused to go to remote hilly areas." Hridayesh, however, rejected the contention and dubbed the Act as "not only stringent but anti-employees."