Joining Time Extract from Civil Services Rules, (Volume–I Part–I)

Joining Time Extract from Civil Services Rules, (Volume–I Part–I)

CHAPTER IX – JOINING TIME

CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ADMISSIBLE 

9.1 Joining time may be granted to a Government servant to enable him –

1. a) to join a new post to which he is appointed while on duty in his old post; or
2. b) to join a new post –
3. i) on return from leave on average pay of not more than four months duration in respect of Government servants subject to the leave rule sin section II of chapter VIII, or from earned leave not exceeding 120, 90 or 30 days as the case may be, in respect of Government servants subject to the leave rules in section III of chapter VIII; or
4. ii) when he has not had sufficient notice of his appointment to the new post, on return from leave other than that specified in sub clause (i); or
5. c) to travel from the port of debarkation or, in the case of arrival by air craft, from its first regular port in Pakistan and to organize his domestic establishment when he returns from leave out of Pakistan of more than four months duration in respect of Government servants subject to the leave rules in section II of chapter VIII, or of more than 120, 90 or 30 days duration as the case may be, in respect of Government servants subject to leave rules in section III of chapter VIII; or
6. d) i) to proceed from a specified station to join a post in a place in a remote locality which is not easy of access; or
7. ii) to proceed on relinquishing charge of a post in a place in a remoter locality which is not easy of access to a specified station.

Note 1The authority which granted the leave will decide whether the notice referred to in clause (b) (ii) was insufficient.

Note 2Joining time is admissible to a Government servant under clause (c) of this rule for organizing his domestic establishment even if he does not make any journey from the port of debarkation.

Note 3The joining time and traveling allowance of military officers in civil employ are governed by the civil rules in virtue of the provisions of paragraph 593 of the Regulations for the Army in Pakistan and paragraph 2 (iii) and 14 of the Defence Services Regulations, India Passage Regulations, respectively read with Fundamental Rule 3.

These rules admit of the grant of joining time and traveling allowance to military officers in civil, employ not only on the occasion of their transfer to the civil employ and retransfer to s

military employ but also when they are actually serving in civil employ. For the purposes of these rules, privilege leave under the military leave rules should be treated as leave on average pay of not more than four months duration.

Note 4The time reasonably required for journeys between the place of training and the stations to which a Government servant is posted immediately before and after the period of training should be treated as part of the training period. This does not apply to probationers holding “training posts” which they may be considered as taken with them on transfer. Such probationers are entitled to joining time when transferred.

Note 5When a Government servant holding a temporary post is offered through his official superior another such post at some other station at any time before the abolition of his post, he is entitled to joining time.

Note 6No joining time, joining time pay or traveling allowance shall be granted to a provincial Government servant who is appointed to a post under the central Government but join his new post after termination of his employment under the provincial Government by resignation or otherwise, unless the employment of a particular Government servant is in the wider public interest. The same applies to a servant of the central Government or of another provincial Government who, in similar circumstances, is appointed to a post under the Punjab Government. Further, when a Government servant of one department is appointed to a post in another department, both departments being under the Punjab Government, but joins his new post after

termination of his employment under the old department no joining time, joining time pay or traveling allowance shall be allowed unless it is in the public interest to do so. If joining time is allowed in any case it should be the minimum necessary and should in no case exceed the transit period.

Note 7Joining time, joining time pay and traveling allowance of Government

servants appointed to post under the Punjab Government on the  results of a competitive examination, which is open to both Government servants and others, is regulated as under:

1. a) traveling allowance, joining time and joining time pay should ordinarily be allowed to all Government servants serving under the central or provincial Governments who hold permanent posts in a substantive capacity and that;
2. b) no traveling allowance, joining time pay should be granted in the case of those who are employed in a temporary capacity without the sanction of Government.

9.2 No joining time is allowed in cases when a Government servant is transferred from one post to another in the same office establishment.

9.3 a) A Government servant on transfer during a vacation may be permitted to take joining time at the end of the vacation.

9. b) When vacation is combined with leave on average pay or earned leave, joining time shall be regulated under Rule 9.1 (b) (i) if the total period of leave on average pay and vacation is not more than four months in the case of Government servants subject to the rules in section II of chapter VIII, or not more than 120, 90 or 30 days as the case may be in the case of Government servants subject to leave rules in section III of chapter VIII; and under clause (c) if vacation combined with leave out of Pakistan exceeds these limits.

9.4 If a Government servant takes leave while in transit from one post to another, the period which has elapsed since he handed over charge of his old post must be concluded in his leave, unless the leave is taken on medical certificate. In the latter case, the period may be treated as joining time.

CALCULATION OF JOINING TIME 

9.5 When transfer to a new post involves a change of station, joining time is

calculated as follows, subject to a maximum of thirty days –

1. i) Six days for preparation, and, in addition thereto:

For the portion of the journey which the Government servant A day for each travels or might travel .

By railway 250 miles

By ocean steamer 200 miles or any longer By river steamer 80 miles time actually

By motor car or motor–lorry 80 miles occupied in

By mail cart or other public 80 miles the journey stage conveyance drawn by horses In any other way 15 miles

An extra day is allowed for any fraction of distance over that prescribed above.

1. ii) When part of the journey is performed by steamer, the days intervening between the Government servant being set free from his office or, if he has no office, receiving his orders, and the departure of the steamer or his start duly regulated to catch the steamer shall be added.

iii) When air journeys for transfer are performed in the interest of public service by a Government servant entitled to travel by air or specially authorized to do so by a competent authority, 6 days for preparation and in addition, the number of days actually taken in the air journey should be allowed as joining time.

Note 1: The administrative secretary of the department concerned will be the

competent authority in such case.

Note 2: Sundays are not included in the above calculations, though they are included in the maximum limit of thirty days.

Note 3: A journey by road of five miles or under, to or from a railway station from or to the chief public office of the place, does not count for joining time.

Note 4: In view of the uncertainty which exists as to the point of departure of the ferry steamer from Ghazi Ghat during the flood season, two days instead of

one will be allowed as joining time for the journey of about 29 miles between Dera Ghazi Khan and Ghazi Ghat when the bridge of boats is not up. When this extra day is demanded the claim should be supported by the certificate of the senior officer of the Public Works Department in Dera Ghazi Khan.

9.6 Only one day is allowed for joining a post which does not necessarily involves a change of residence from one station to another. A gazetted  holiday counts as a day for the purpose of this rule.

9.7 By whatever route a Government servant travels, his joining time shall, unless a competent authority specially permits otherwise, be calculated by the route which travelers habitually use.

9.8 (a) The joining time of a Government servant under clause (b) (i) and (ii) of rule 9.1 will be counted from his old station or from the place where he receives the order of transfer whichever calculation would entitle him to less joining time. If the leave is being spent out of Pakistan and the order of appointment to the new post reaches him before he arrives at the port of debarkation, the port of debarkation is the place in which he received the order for the purpose of this rule.

(b) A Government servant taking joining time under clause (b) (i) of Rule 9.1 who receives, while on leave (whether spent in or out of Pakistan orders of transfer to a station other than that from which he took leave, will be granted full joining time admissible under clause

(a) above and irrespective of the date on which the orders of transfer are received by him. Should he join his new appointment before the expiry of leave plus the joining time admissible the period short taken should be considered as leave not enjoyed, and a corresponding portion of the leave sanctioned should be cancelled without any reference to the authority which granted the leave. If in any case, the Government servant desires not to avail himself of the full period of joining time admissible, the periods of leave and joining time should be adjusted with reference to such option.

9.9 The joining time admissible under clause (c) Rule 9.1 should be calculated

from the date of debarkation of the Government servant at the Pakistan port in the manner prescribed in Rule 9.5; provided that it shall, if he so desires, be subject to a minimum of ten days.

Note: The joining time of a Government servant who returns from leave out of

Pakistan and disembarks, not at the first port of call in Pakistan but at another such port, should be reckoned from the day of arrival of the vessel at the second or subsequent port at which he actually disembarks, whether the sea journey from the first port of call in Pakistan to the subsequent port of disembarkation is made in the same steamer which takes him to the first port  of call or in some other steamer.

9.10 If a Government servant is authorized to make over charge of a post elsewhere than at his headquarters, his joining time shall be calculated from the place at which he actually makes over charge.

9.11 If a Government servant is appointed to a new post while in transit from one post to another, his joining time begins on the day following that on which he receives the order of appointment.

Note A second period of six days for preparation should not be included in calculating the joining time of a Government servant whose appointment is changed while he is in transit.

9.12 When a Government servant under the administrative control of the Punjab Government is transferred to the control of another Government, his joining time for the journey to join his post under that Government and for the return journey will be governed by the rules of that Government.

PAY DURING JOINING TIME 

9.13 A Government servant on joining time shall be regarded as on duty, and

shall be entitled to be paid as follows:

9. a) If on joining time under clause (a) of Rule 9.1 he is entitled to the pay which he would have drawn if he had not been transferred; or the pay which he will draw on taking charge of his new post, whichever is less.
10. b) If on joining time under clause (b) or (c) of Rule 9.1 he is entitled –
11. i) When returning from extraordinary leave, other than extraordinary leave not exceeding fourteen days granted in continuation of other leave, to no payments at all; and
12. ii) When returning from leave of any other kind, to the leave salary which he last drew on leave at the rate prescribed for the payment of leave salary in Pakistan.
13. c) If on joining time under clause (d) of Rule 9.1, he is entitled to pay as though he was on duty in his post.

Note–1: A ministerial servant on transfer is not entitled to be paid while on joining time unless his transfer is made in the public interests.

Note–2: A military officer subject to the Military Leave Rules who retains a lien on his civil post is entitles, on joining time, under sub–clause (ii) of clause of

(b) above, to draw the same amount of leave salary which he would have drawn had he taken leave under Civil Leave Rules, provided that such leave salary shall not be less than that which he actually drew during the last portion of his leave.

Note–3: The words “if he had not been transferred” in clause (a) of this rule should be interpreted in the sense, “if he had continued in his old post”.

Note–4: The words “in his post” occurring in clause (c) of this rule mean the post is the remote locality even in the case of a Government servant on straight transfer.

Note–5: See also notes 1 and 2 under Rule 4.9 (a).

9.14. In the Public Works Department no extra pay (where the transfer involves the grant of extra pay) can be drawn in any case by a relieving Government servant, until the transfer is complete, but as far as ordinary pay and allowances are concerned an exception may be made to the general rule in all cases in which the charge to be transferred (whether a division, a sub–division or other charge) consists of several scattered works which the relieving and the relieved Government servants are required, by the orders of a superior officer to inspect together before the transfer can be completed. The relieving period taken in carrying out these inspections is not considered by the Superintending Engineer to be excessive. While so taking over charge, the relieving Government servant will draw:

1. i) if he is transferred from a post which he holds substantively, his presumptive pay in that post;
2. ii) if he is transferred from a post which he has held in an officiating capacity, the officiating pay admissible in that post provided it is not more than the pay he would draw after the transfer is complete;

otherwise his presumptive pay in the permanent post on which he had a lien prior to transfer;

iii) if he returns from leave his presumptive pay in the post on which he retained a lien during the leave.

Note: The concession of house–rent allowance or free quarters ordinarily admissible to a Government servant should be treated as “ordinary pay and allowances” within the meaning of this rule and is admissible to both the relieved and the relieving Government servants during the period occupied by them in handing over the taking over charge.

9.15. The application of rule 9.14, which forms an exception to the general rule and which concerns the Public Works Department only, has also been extended to the transfer of charge specified in column 2 of the table below in the case of the following departments. The authority noted in column 3 against each is to determine whether the period spent in completing the transfer of charge is not excessive:

OVERSTAY AND EXTENSION OF JOINING TIME 

9.16. A Government servant who does not join his post within his joining time is entitled to no pay or leave salary after the end of the joining time. Willful absence from duty after the expiry of joining time may be treated as misbehaves for the purpose of Rule 3.19.

9.17 (a) A competent authority will, if necessary, extend the joining time as calculated by Rule 9.5 provided the general spirit of the rules is observed.

(b) Within the maximum of thirty days, Heads of Departments, may, in the case of Government servants of Provincial Services, Temporary Engineers,

Temporary Deputy Collectors and non–gazetted subordinates under their control, extend the joining time admissible by rules –

1. i) If the Government servant has been unable to avail himself of the usual mode of traveling, or if notwithstanding, due diligence on his part, the journey has occupied more time than is allowed by the rules – to the extent of time actually necessary.
2. ii) If such extension is considered necessary for the public convenience

or for the saving of public expense, as for example, to prevent unnecessary and merely formal transfers to the extent necessary.

iii) If the rules have in any particular case operated harshly, as for example, if a Government servant has through no fault on his part missed a steamer or fallen sick on the journey – to the extent necessary.