Bihar cabinet okays proposal to set up administrative tribunal

PATNA: The state cabinet on Saturday approved the general administration department’s proposal to set up Bihar Administrative Tribunal (BAT) on the pattern of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to listen to the grievances of state government employees pertaining to their service conditions.
Briefing media after the meeting, cabinet secretariat department additional chief secretary Amir Subhani said the final notification in this regard would be issued by the Centre.“The state government will recommend to the Centre for issuing the notification in this regard soon,” Subhani said.
BAT would ease the burden of cases pending for disposal in the high court. Earlier, the government employees had no option than to move the high court to get their grievances redressed. The employees can move the BAT instead of going to the high court for seeking any reprieve, he clarified.
In another decision, the cabinet sanctioned Rs61.57 crore to the civil aviation authority to set up new structure and develop other related infrastructure in the wake of Patna airport renovation. Subhani said that several old structures have to be demolished in the vicinity of the airport due to its expansion plan and new structure and infrastructure are to be developed at new places. Renovation work is to be done on 8.65 acres of land under the airport expansion plan, he added.
The environment, forest and climate change department’s proposal for the appointment of 902 forest guards was also cleared at the meeting. The cabinet cleared the Science and Technology department’s proposal to name Engineering College, Araria after noted Hindi author Phanishwar Nath Renu. CM Nitish Kumar had announced it during his ‘Jal-Jivan-Hariyali Yatra’ recently.
The cabinet also gave its nod to the environment, forest and climate change department’s proposal to sanction Rs140 crore for plantation, maintenance of saplings, soil water conservation and wild life protection under 27 forest divisions in the state during 2019-20 fiscal.
Eight non-gazetted posts will be created to assist the judicial officer at the newly created sub-divisional court in Supaul district. It will cost additional Rs39.88 lakh to the state exchequer per annum. The meeting also approved the creation of 666 non-gazetted posts to assist the judicial officers posted at the 74 special courts set up across the state to deal with the cases lodged under Bihar Excise and Prohibition Act 2016. It will add additional burden of Rs28.74 crore to the state exchequer per annum.
The cabinet gave administrative sanction to budgetary allocation of Rs107 crore for the Balwa Ghat barrage-cum-irrigation project on Dhons river under Madhubani district. In addition, the cabinet also approved the termination of services of Dr Md. Rizwan Alam, medical officer of Barari referral hospital in Katihar district and Dr Dhananjay Kumar, medical officer of additional primary health centre at Machharhatta in Purnia district, for remaining absent from duty without authorized leave.
Altogether 18 proposals were approved at the cabinet meeting today.