SAIL Transfers : Yet another practice which defies Principles of Equality, Fairness & Natural Justice
When other PSU and government institutions can have a transparent, written, rational and honest transfer policy for its work force, then why SAIL cannot have ? Why transfers are left to whims, fancies, arbitrariness, inconstancy & eccentricity of select few who are using it as a tool to promote cronyism, nepotism, favouritism, partiality, bias, partisanship, patronage, unfairness, and nonobjectivity.
With new Director(Commercial) Natrajan in the driving seat, it is to be seen whether he addresses the issue or try to quell the growing discontent of the officers under the weight of arrogance & haughtiness of his chair in the same suicidal manner as his predecessor Chakravarthy did, who happens to be his godfather.
Transfer policies in organizations typically aim to balance organizational needs with employee preferences, requiring periodic rotation (often every 3–5 years). It has multi-fold objective which include :
· Stronger Governance and Operational Efficiency
· Breaking Long-Standing Local Networks
· Prevent vested interests
· Maintain transparency and administrative efficiency
· All round development of work force by giving wider experience
· Request transfers on compassionate or medical grounds
· Specific guidelines for staff in sensitive roles to comply with CVC guidelines
· Removal from public dealing and sensitive posts on complaints of doubtful integrity etc.
The Central Marketing Organisation(CMO) of SAIL, a unit responsible for marketing of carbon, alloy and special steel products produced by its steel plants, has pan India presence with has network of 4 Regional Offices, 37 Branch Sales Offices, 43 operational Warehouses (23 Departmental & 20 CA yards) and 6 SRM (Sales Resident Manager) officers to take care of the domestic sales. In addition, it has an International Trade Division Kolkata with one office in Kathmandu, Nepal for catering the export market. The network is headed by a Director(Commercial) office and Commercial Directorate at Delhi and CMO Headquarter at Kolkata. Despite such a wide network, it has been gathered that CMO does not have any written down transfer policy for its employees. Transfers do happen but they are purely guided by the whims and fancies of few influential officers. The height of arbitrariness, inconstancy & eccentricity is to the extent that the activity of transfers is often used as a tool to take revenge on officers also. In some cases, the same has also been used to force officers to resign from the job.
The abuse is such that the Whistle Blower in his corruption complaints to LOKPAL nailed it as one of the facilitating factors for corruption and financial irregularities
More than three years have passed since the Whistle Blower flagged this issue with the senior management of SAIL but it has been gathered that CMO is still miles away from a transparent, written, rational and honest transfer policy for its officers.
Discontent among officers
Internal sources reveal that the opacity in transfers is a cause of major discontent among its officers and the same is growing day by day. In a few cases the autocratic, insensitive & inhumane approach of the management is adding fuel to fire.
It is working as a double edge sword. On one hand disgruntled work force and on the other hand it is generating a large number of “sub-servient yes-men” in the system who are engaged day & night in pleasing the bosses to remain at the existing location or get the choice posting through transfer.
Another source of discontent is the House Rent Allowance (HRA). Few officers who do not have ‘Godfathers’ are rotated regularly but others who have ‘Mai-Baaps’ remain posted in their hometowns and draw handsome HRA in the salary package. It may be noted that nowadays HRA is a major component of salary and has brought a financial advantage of about Rs 2.0 CR to the officers who have spent their entire career of about 36 years at the same location. Sources claim that the sharing of HRA amount cannot be ruled out for getting a transfer or to remain at the preferred location.
Though the list includes a large number of officers we are giving below six glaring cases of SAIL CMO which will throw significant light on the arbitrariness, inconstancy, eccentricity, and nepotism followed in the transfers of officers
Anindita Ghosh : Joined at Kolkata in 1994 and superannuated from the same location in Aug 2025 as General Manager.
Sunanda Nag : Joined CMO in 1995 and superannuated from the same location in Dec 2025 as Chief General Manager.
Vinod Gupta : Joined in 1989 and is superannuating in Apr 2026 as Executive Director (Commercial). Out of 36 years of career, spent over 32 years in NCR at influential positions which include Branch Manager of Faridabad & Ghaziabad, Regional Business Manager for Lang & Flat Products in the Northern Region. Went to Chennai as Regional Manager of Southern Region because his son got admission in SRM University at Chennai. Gupta is son of a 1958 batch IAS officer who was also Lt. Governor post his retirement, enjoyed all kinds of benefits viz. desired locations, desired lucrative posts, timely promotions etc. throughout his career in SAIL.
He was among the 29 officers suspended after the LOKPAL’s order in the case of supplies to Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd. He is not expected to get the retiral benefits on his superannuation on Apr 30, 2026.
Punnya Mukherjee : Remained posted at Kolkata, her hometown, continually for 23 years, from 2000 to 2023. The moment her daughter gets admission in Delhi University, she secures transfer to Delhi with full transfer benefits.
Prashant Ojha : Remained posted at Kolkata from 1997 to 2014. In 2022 he again came back to Kolkata on request but with full transfer benefits.
S Prakash : Remained posted at Patna from 2000 to 2022. In between he was twice transferred out of Patna but on both the occasions he got his transfer order cancelled through external pressure.
He and the Whistle Blower, both were transferred in the same transfer order in Jan 2021. Prakash was transferred from Patna to Durgapur (distance 400 KM only) & Whistle Blower was transferred from Delhi to Kolkata (distance 1500 KM) As the time was marked with COVID pandemic, his daughter was entering Class XII & his wife had severe comorbidity, the whistle blower requested for deferment of the transfer order till Mar 2022 so that his daughter can complete class XII. Management did not give any respite to the whistle blower but cancelled the transfer order of Prakash.
It may again be noted that above are only sample cases, otherwise the list of officers who are at the same location for long periods is quite long. In addition, there are many cases where though officers are transferred but within the same state or within a distance of 200/300 KM and keep rotating between two locations.
Over the years, management has institutionalised nepotism in transfers in the organisation to such an extent that they have forgot that they are governed by a code called “THE CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BOARD MEMBERS AND SENIOR MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL OF SAIL, 2015”, which include:
With new Director(Commercial) Natrajan in the driving seat, it is to be seen whether he addresses the issue or try to quell the growing discontent of the officers under the weight of arrogance & haughtiness of his chair in the same suicidal manner as his predecessor Chakravarthy did, who happens to be his godfather.
Educational Qualification not a virtue
“You show me the face, I will show you the rule”
Since steel is a technical product catering to various engineering industries, only engineers are recruited for Sales & Marketing functions. Even in the eligibility criteria for the recent selection for the post of Director(Commercial), engineering degree was a must. However, management purely based on whims and fancies brings influential and connected non-technical officers to sales & Marketing in order to accommodate them at a particular location and thus compromise on the core business of CMO. One glaring case is that of Punnya Mukherjee which has been given above.
It has been gathered that she holds a degree in BA(English) with Post Graduate diploma in advertising & Public Relations. SAIL has a Management Training Institute(MTI) at Ranchi and she was recruited for the institute. Being a Bengali with home at Kolkata, she immediately secured a transfer to CMO-Kolkata in the PR department. For keeping her at Kolkata she was moved from PR to Sales to Communications to Sales again at Kolkata only. Till she wanted to remain in Kolkata she remained. The moment her daughter gets admission in Delhi University, she secures transfer to Delhi with full transfer benefits again in the Sales department.
Presence of non-technical officers in sales & marketing is already a matter of discontent among engineers. Over & above by giving such favours by management at the cost of highly qualified engineers adds salt to the wounds.
CMO is the only unit of SAIL which has pan-India presence. Since recruiting such people is not possible in CMO, as part of the pre-planned strategy they are first inducted in some other unit of SAIL and then moved to their preferred locations in the CMO. They are generally very influential people with a lot of political, bureaucratic, or internal weight behind them. These people generally do not get satisfied with one or two favours, but they continue putting up their inordinate demands. At the same time, management is also often always ready to lay Red Carpet for them. It all happens at the cost of the deserving and competent officers which has over the years destroyed the very fabric of the organisation.
CARES PORTAL in SAIL : Compassion too comes with “Jugaad”
Not only normal transfers but compassionate transfers also lack transparency.
CARES stand for Compassionate Applications for Relocation of Employees. The portal has developed for receiving the request applications from employees who require relocation due to medical needs/exigencies, children education or other compelling circumstances. Transfers approved on the basis of requests through the portal are not accompanied by transfer benefits. Employees have to spend money from his/her own pocket to relocate himself, his family, and his household goods to the new location. The amount could be Rs 3 to 4 lakh depending upon the location and size of the family. Insensitivity of the HR department is such that they do not even care to inform the applicants the reason as to why their request applications have not been considered by the CARES committee. Not only normal transfers but compassionate transfers also lack transparency.
However, some of the employees, you have godfathers, are not required to go through this portal. They can secure a transfer or relocation based on verbal request only and such transfers are with full transfer benefits. Refer to the case of Prashant Ojha above. Ojha’s transfer needs a special mention because he is the OD officer of SAIL CMO and is instrumental in transferring the officers of CMO. He secured a request transfer for himself from Mumbai to Kolkata that too with full transfer benefits but at the same time he is instrumental in harassing, troubling and tormenting other deserving cases.
When other PSUs and government institutions can have a transparent, written, rational and honest transfer policy for its work force, then why SAIL cannot have ? Why transfers are left to whims, fancies, arbitrariness, inconstancy & eccentricity of select few who are using it as a tool to promote cronyism, nepotism, favouritism, partiality, bias, partisanship, patronage, unfairness, and nonobjectivity.
Links to transfer policies of some other PSUs and government institutions have been given below.
https://bankofindia.bank.in/documents/20121/0/Transfer-RotationPolicy.pdf
https://surveyofindia.gov.in/files/Report-Transfer%20Policy%20Committee_1.pdf
(The above article has been written based on extensive research and inputs from various sources including sources from SAIL)
