At a Press briefing recently, Keshubhai Patel said panels of retired IAS officers would be constituted in each government department, which would complete the process of primary inquiry within four months before taking a final decision on whether to conduct a thorough departmental probe.

A W P David, ACS, General Administration Department, said over 4,700 inquiries relating to minor punishment and about 700 concerning major offences were pending, with nearly 1,500 cases for departmental probes being registered every year. Most of the cases are being received from the Roads and Buildings and Irrigation departments.

He said the proposed panels would be directed to launch a drive on the lines of Lok Adalat for early and time-bound disposal of primary departmental inquiries against officers and employees.

Patel said that under the exisiting system, a file relating to initiating the process of inquiry had to cross 11 stages before it reached the Chief Minister-level. Now the file would pass through two stages. A file concerning departmental inquiry against officers of the rank of a deputy secretary or above will cross only six stages before it is put up before the Chief Minister, he added.