The TMC took up the initiative after the issue was raised in the general body meeting by Nationalist Congress Party leader Devram Bhoir . He asked how certain clerks were glued to their positions in lucrative departments such as the octroi for years together. Bhoir pointed out that an employee being posted in the same department for too long will lead to corruption and inefficiency.

Following a debate in the general body meeting, the civic administration on June 16 issued the first transfer list of employees. As per the list, 16 clerks from octroi, property tax and water tariff collection departments have been rotated.

There is no provision in the Bombay Provisional Municipal Corporation (BPMC) Act that stipulates transfer of clerical grade employees. In the absence of such provisions, undue political and administrative influence often play a role in allocation of departments to the clerks.

Thane Congress general secretary Vikrant Chavan said the administration was being biased in issuing the transfers. “I have information to believe that those clerks, who have been in the octroi department for as many as eight years and as less as five years, enjoy being in the octroi department,” said Chavan.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner (head office) Venkatesh Bhatt denied these allegations and said the administration has identified 40-odd employees, who have been continuing in the same position for years.

“We have only issued the first list of transfers. There is more to come. Before transferring an employee, various factors should be taken into account such as tenure in the given position, total service, complaints received and adverse reports, if any,” said Bhatt.

Since the clerks from the three taxation departments — octroi, property tax, water tariff collection— are not deputed to other departments, the new transfer policy would ensure that an employee serves less than 10 years in a department.