Panaji (Goa): The water resources department (WRD) has warned its officials not to bring in political pressure to get transfers within the department.

“The department being a technically intrinsic department, it is essential that technical and ministerial staff of the department are skilled and have wider perspective of the works they perform. The staffs have also been transferred as per transfer policy in their routine nature of duty,” reads reads a circular by WRD Minister Vinod Paliencar.

Explaining that transfers are of those officials/officers who are posted at one place of posting for more than three years, he has warned of action against anyone for using political pressure to go back to their original posting. The transfers he said are in the best interest of the department.

“It was noticed that some of the technical personnel were in the same post for more than 3 years and hence a genuine attempt was made by the department to transfer the personnel in general transfers. However it is noticed that the transferred officer bring political and other pressures on the undersigned (minister)or the Head of Department to retain them in their original postings though the transfers are within the same headquarters citing various reasons , ” he said adding, “Such pressures to retain one in the same office or personal good are not good for the working of the department and will be viewed very seriously.”

Paliencar also observed that there was lot of lethargic attitude by many of the officers and in order to put things in place, he has started reshuffling exercise.

If any such attempts to bring in political influence is come to the fore, the minister has instructed the WRD chief engineer and the administration department to issue such officials/officers memos and mention in their annual report.