Monday's massive promotion of 494 civil servants has left Bangladesh Secretariat in sluggishness as officers promoted and attached to the establishment ministry as officers on special duty (OSD) hardly worked yesterday.

This hampered the daily activities at the secretariat.

A secretary described the situation as a direct impact of the wholesale promotion.

The same situation was observed at other ministries at the secretariat.

Many officials said the sluggishness in the administration would remain until and unless the government distributes offices among the officers promoted as deputy secretaries, joint secretaries and additional secretaries. And this

would be a difficult task, they said.

The establishment ministry issued three gazette notifications on Monday, promoting 271 senior assistant secretaries to the rank of deputy secretaries, 163 deputy secretaries to joint secretaries, and 60 joint secretaries to additional secretaries.

The government took the move to give promotions at all levels of the administration, giving priority to those who were "deprived and denied promotion" by the previous governments, and keeping in mind a reshuffle plan to run the administration properly.

Sources said the government has to upgrade posts at various levels to accommodate the promoted officers.

The government yesterday directed 22

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deputy commissioners, who were deputy secretaries but promoted as joint secretaries, to remain in their previous positions.

I\vo divisional commissioners of the rank of joint secretaries--MAN Siddiqui of Chittagong division and Md Yusufur Rahman of Khulna division--were also asked to remain in their positions although they were made additional secretaries.

Establishment ministry sources said similar moves would be made to accommodate the huge number of promoted officers.

Meanwhile, the promoted officers already started lobbying with influential quarters to get new offices but many believe that political consideration will be a deciding factor in this regard.

The promotion came in clear violation of the organogram, according to which promotions can only be given if there are vacant positions. The latest promotion move came when there were already excessive officers in almost all layers of the administration.

The promoted officers were happy with their upgraded ranks, but frustration gripped those who were left out.

Around 57 joint secretaries and 526 other officials have not been considered for promotions this time, sources in the establishment ministry said.

Thlking to The Daily Star, a secretary said many meritorious officers were denied promotion while many joint secretaries from special BCS batches were promoted as additional secretaries which, he believes, would create problem in the bureaucracy in the future.

"Promoting to the rank of additional secretary is simply a blunder as many of them are from special batches and have little experience," he observed.

Preferring anonymity, he said the latest promotion spree will make the administration unhealthy for bureaucracy.

However, tire case of promoting 271 senior assistant’ secretaries is different as it has created a good number of vacant posts at junior level. Many said deskwork would be hampered with the absence of junior officers. The government can fill the vacancy through recruitment.