While reversing its earlier orders empowering junior officials to officiate as link officers in the absence of senior bureaucrats, the AAP government has now made 71 senior officers as first link officers to discharge the duties of various departments in the absence of their respective HODs in the national capital. The government has also empowered 71 other senior officers as second link officers to take a final call of the departmental works in case their HODs and first link officers proceed on leave.
The orders to this effect said that the principal secretaries, secretaries, and HODs should make similar link officer arrangements in respect to officers up to the level of deputy secretaries, deputy directors, and above. The government’s move to appoint link officers is an attempt to ensure that if an officer is not able to attend office due to any reason, the link officer, without any official notification, would automatically take charge.
The orders issued by special secretary T. Sreekanth said that if any department has both principal secretary and secretary, each one would be the link officer for the other. “If both, the principal secretary and the secretary, are available in the link department, the equivalent officer will be the link officer.” The government has, however, made it clear that officers who will function as link officers will not be entitled to any additional remuneration.
