A good number of high-level civil bureaucrats will retire by March next year as their two-year extension ends.
The government had extended the retirement age to 59 from 57 years on December 26, 2011.
None of the senior officials and civil servants have retired in the last two years.
According to the public administration ministry, a total of 10 secretaries and senior secretaries, and 17 additional secretaries will go into retirement by March 31.
Of them, three secretaries and five additional secretaries will retire from January 1.
Agriculture Secretary SM Nazmul Islam already started his post-retirement leave (PRL) yesterday.
Parliament Secretariat’s Senior Secretary Ashraful Moqbul, Science and Technology Secretary Rafiqul Islam and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Secretary Mohammad Golam Quddus will end their service today. They will be sent on PRL tomorrow.
Among the additional secretaries, the Madrasa Education Board’s Chairman Abdun Noor and OSD bureaucrats Abul Quasem, Mosharraf Hossain, AKM Yahya Chowdhury and Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan will attend the office for the last time today. Their PRL period will start tomorrow.
Senior Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “The public administration ministry has already finished its preparations for filling up the vacancies immediately after the secretaries retire. We have finalised the lists of officers for posting.
“The lists have already been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for consent. But we are yet to get instructions from the government high-ups.”
When asked whether the orders posting those officers will be issued by today, he said: “It may take time until next week. But, we are prepared.”
Among other officials, the contractual appointment of the Prime Minister’s Secretary Molla Waheduzzaman will expire on January 17. Local Government Secretary Abu Alam Md Shahid Khan will also retire on the same day.
The Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Shaikh Md Wahid Uz Zaman, Secretary of Internal Resources Division and NBR Chairman Md Ghulam Hussain, BPATC Rector AZM Shafiqul Alam, Land Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman and OSD Secretary Nurul Haque will retire by March 7.
Among the additional secretaries, OSD Sitangshu Sen, Swapan Kumar Sarker, Mahbubul Alam and Syed Mustafizur Rahman, the Home Ministry’s Mainuddin Khandker, the Finance Division’s Emdadul Hoque, the Agriculture Ministry’s Abdul Hamid, BRDB Director Tohid Uddin Ahmed, DTCB Executive Director Aftabuddin Talukder, Principle Information Officer Aminul Islam, Director of Department of Jute Azim Uddin Ahmed Choudhury and Chief Electrical Inspector of Railways Ekramur Rahman will retire by February 28.
According to the public administration ministry, most of the officials who will retire shortly are trying to get a contractual appointment and so communicating with the government top brass.