By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: In a major administrative decision, the Assam Legislative Assembly Secretariat has discontinued the services of 12 retired officers and employees who had been re-engaged on contractual terms, signaling the start of a restructuring exercise under the leadership of newly appointed Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass.
An official notification issued by the Secretariat on May 29 stated that the contractual engagements of the retired personnel had been terminated with immediate effect. The affected individuals were serving in different capacities across several wings of the Assembly administration.
The relieved personnel included former officials working as Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), coordinators, attendants and support staff in departments such as the Public Undertakings Committee, MLA Hostel, Legislation Branch, Establishment Branch, Security Branch and the Issue Branch.
The order, issued with the approval of the Speaker, directed the concerned officers and employees to stand relieved from their duties from May 29 onward.
The development comes at a time when the functioning of the Assembly Secretariat has come under public and legal scrutiny over alleged irregularities in appointments and service extensions.
Recently, the All Assam Unemployed Association (AAUA) moved the Gauhati High Court through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking a probe into nearly 50 appointments made within the Assembly Secretariat. The petition alleged that dozens of Grade III and Grade IV positions were filled without issuing public advertisements or conducting a transparent recruitment process.
According to the PIL, several appointments were later regularised despite alleged procedural shortcomings, raising questions about compliance with established recruitment guidelines.
The petition also drew attention to repeated extensions of service allegedly granted to certain senior officials during the tenure of former Speaker Biswajit Daimary. Among those mentioned were former Secretary Dulal Pegu and another official who was reportedly allowed to continue in service beyond the prescribed retirement age.
Although the latest decision to relieve the contractual staff has not been officially linked to the allegations raised before the court, the move is being seen as part of a wider review of administrative practices within the Secretariat under the new dispensation.
No official statement has yet been issued regarding any further investigation or corrective measures related to the recruitment and appointment process.