FAREWELL- TO OUR BELOVED LEADER COMRADE PRANAB BHATTACHARJEE, EX GENERAL SECRETARY, ADMINISTRATIVE UNION, NFPE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM SERVICE ON SUPERANNUATION ON 29.09.2017

Comrade Bhattacharjee, served as the General Secretary, Admin NFPE, for the period from Feb, 2010 to Sep, 2016 besides functioning as the Circle Secretary of the Admin Union, W.B.Circle for almost two decades. He was the President of the Administrative Union until recently.  He will be retiring on superannuation from Postal Service on 29^th September, 2017, being the last working day.

Comrade Pranab Da entered in the Postal Department as Short Duty PA at Rampurhat Head Post Office of Birbhum Division in Feb, 1981 and then joined as PA on 26-04-1982. His belligerent and protesting approach against all kind of injustice ultimately made him very popular since the beginning. He entered in the Department at such a critical juncture when the prestige and dignity of the postal workers were very much shattered and many bigger organizations like Banks, LIC took an inferior approach towards the Postal Department and the workers of the Postal Department. He fought against all such odds and tried to upheld the dignity of the Postal Workers since his joining in the Department.

He passed UDC examination in 1987 and joined in the O/o the erstwhile Postmaster General, W.B.Circle on 8^th July 1988.

He faced serious family disasters due to his mother’s untimely death on 21^st Nov, 1989 at the age of 50yrs only. His brother’s most untimely death came just after a span of 6yrs only on 21^st Dec, 1995 at the age of 37yrs. Once he was in great distress whether he will serve the workers of the Department with responsibility or will he quit! He decided to continue his service as before. However, in later period, he became the victim of ill health.  

Inspite of all pains and constraints and ill health, his belligerent and sacrificing attitude for more than 36yrs will ever be remembered by the Administrative workers of the country.  

His active efforts for the preparation of the Memorandum for 5^th, 6^th and 7^th Central Pay Commissions on behalf of the Administrative Union which ultimately became the common memorandum of all the unions like NFPE, FNPO was examplary.

He fought against the following important issues very strongly as the JCM Departmental Council Member for a long period of almost seven years

1)Against decentralization of PLI

2)For framing the new Recruitment rules for PACO

3)For increasing LSG/HSG-II/HSG-I posts in Circle Administrative Offices.

4)For extending the CGHS facilities to all Postal Retirees.

5)Filling up of all Posts of PACOs and MTSs.

6)For allowing the PACO staff for appearing at the PSS Gr ‘B’ exam.

7)For change of syllabus and pattern of LGO exam for Circle Administrative Offices.

8)To maintain distinct identities of PACOs.

9)For conversion COs/ROs/DPLI Office as CPCs

10)Against diversion of 615 Posts of PAs from Circle Offices.

11)For fixation of pay of MTSs who were granted ACP-I & ACP-II prior to 01-01-2006 and stopping of recovery therefore.

12)Irregular redeployment/ Deputation of PACOs in Post Offices and CPCs-Cases of Karnataka, TamilNadu and Gujarat Circles.

13)For providing norms for BD, Technology, RTI oriented works and Project Arrow works done by CO officials.   

14)For granting TBOP/BCR to those officials who are senior in the gradation list from the date of their juniors granted BCR irrespective of their noncompletion of 16/26 yrs of service.

Under the leadership of Comrade Pranab Bhattacharjee, the fight for maintaining the distinct identity of PACOs in Circle Office gathered a momentum in Jan, 2014 when a separate set of recruitment rules for the PACOs were issued vide Gazette Notification, after a lapse of almost 14yrs.

His fight for the existence of the entire Postal Department in the wake of liberalization comparing the same in the light of worldwide Postal Network made a remarkable sensation which was later published in Postal Crusader and Bharatiya Post. He probably, was the only General Secretary who long before his retirement had quitted the post of General Secretary to pave the avenue for new General Secretary. 

This Administrative Union records its full appreciation for the dedicated service of Com Bhattacharjee as the General Secretary for almost seven years. In his leadership this organization scaled a new height at a very crucial point of time.

Although he will be retiring on superannuation, yet for many years he will be guiding us to formulate the strategy for the causes of the Postal workers.

We hope that he will govern us as before. This union expresses its warm regards and felicitation and wish him a good health to fight for the Postal Workers.    

Umasankar Chakraborty

(General Secretary)