Travelling Allowance Rules – Journeys on Tour
Accommodation Entitlements for Journeys on Tour:
A. Mileage Allowance for journeys by Air:
(a) In partial modification of the provisions of rule 53A of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II and in supersession of Finance Department Memo No. 5299-F, dt. 1.6.90 and the orders subsequently issued from time to time in this connection, for travel by air within the country officers drawing pay of Rs. 16,400 and above, may in the exigency of public service travel by air on tour at their discretion. Such officers in receipt of pay between Rs. 12,300 and Rs. 16,400 may also be permitted to travel by air on tour at their discretion provided the distance involved is more than 500 kms. and the journey cannot be performed overnight by direct train service/ direct sleeper-coach service.
State Service Officers drawing pay of Rs. 10,000 and above, and All Indian Service Officers irrespective of the amount of pay drawn by them may be permitted to travel by air from districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Dinajpur to Kolkata and back subject to the existing terms and conditions. Such officers posted in Kolkata may also perform journey by air to the aforesaid North Bengal districts with the approval of the Departmental Secretaries.
(b) Class of accommodation for the purpose of air travel will be as follows:
(i) Government employees who will be authorized to travel by air within Indian, will be entitled to travel by Economy (Tourist) Class. None will be allowed to undertake journey by a higher class than the lowest class of accommodation available on the Indian Airlines.
(ii) In the case of international travel, the Ministers and Officers of and above the rank of Secretary will be entitled to travel by Business Class or Club Class. All other officers who will be authorized to travel by air abroad will have to travel by Economy Class.
(c) The Officers who are entitled to perform journey by air or specially permitted by the Government to travel by air may, if necessary, undertake journey by air-service offered by the Private Airlines provided the lowest class of accommodation is availed of in such cases of air-travel.
B. Entitlement to rail accommodation and mileage allowance:
In partial modification of rules 37 and 37 A of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II and in supersession of Finance Department Memo No. 5299-F, dt. 1.6.90, the pay ranges and travel entitlements for journeys by rail on tour and transfer shall be as follows:
| Pay Range | Rajdhani Express | Shatabdi Express | Other Trains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rs. 16,400 and above | A.C. First Class | Executive Class | A.C. First Class |
| Rs. 8000 and above but less than Rs. 16,400 | A.C. II Class 2-Tier Sleeper | A.C. Chair Car | A.C. II Class 2-Tier Sleeper |
| Rs. 6500 and above but less than Rs. 8,000 | Do | Do | **First Class/ A.C. II Class 3-Tier Sleeper/ A.C. Chair Car |
| Rs. 4,100 and above but less than Rs. 6,500 | Do | Do | Do |
| Below Rs. 4,100. | Do | Do | Second Class Chair |
**Note: All Government employees who are entitled to travel on tour/transfer by First Class/ A.C. II-Class 3 -Tier Sleeper/A.C. Chair Car may, at their discretion travel by A.C. II-Class 2-Tier Sleeper where any of the direct trains, connecting the originating and destination stations by the direct shortest route do not provide these three Classes of accommodation.
C. Mileage allowance for travel by Sea or by River in a Steamer:
(a) The general entitlements for journeys by Sea or River in a Steamer under Rule 41 of West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II are revised as indicated below:
| Pay Range | Entitlement of Class of Accommodation |
|---|---|
| Officers drawing pay of Rs. 8000 and above | Highest Class |
| Rs. 6500 and above but less than Rs. 8,000 | If there be two classes only on the Steamer, the lower class. |
| Rs. 4,100 and above but less than Rs. 6,500 | If there be two classes only on the Steamer, the lower class; if there be three classes, the middle or the second class; and if there be four classes, the third class. |
| Less than Rs. 4,100. | The lowest class. |
b) In modification of the ‘State Government decision’ below rule 41 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II, the entitlement for travel between mainland and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Group of Islands by Ships operated by the Shipping Corporation of India Limited will be as follows:
| Pay Range | Entitlement of Class of Accommodation |
|---|---|
| Officers drawing pay of Rs. 8000 and above | Deluxe Class |
| Rs. 6500 and above but less than Rs. 8,000 | First/ ‘A’ Cabin Class |
| Rs. 4,100 and above but less than Rs. 6,500 | Second/ ‘B’ Class |
| Less than Rs. 4,100. | Bunk Class |
(c) For journeys on official tours the Ministers and the officers drawing pay of Rs. 16,400 and above will be entitled to travel by the Business Class in the Catamaran “Silverjet”, linking Kolkata with Haldia.
D. Mileage allowance for journey by Road:
In modification of rule 47 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II and in supersession of Finance Department Memo No. 5299-F, dt. 1.6.90 for journey by road on tour, allowance for distance travelled will be calculated at the following revised rates:
| Pay Range | Entitlement |
|---|---|
| I. Rs. 8000 and above | Actual fare by any type of public bus including Air Conditioned bus; Or, Rs. 5 per km for journey by taxi/ own car; Or, Rs. 2 per km for journey by auto-rickshaw, own scooter/ motor-cycles/ moped etc. Or, 60 paisa per km by bicycle or foot. |
| II. Rs. 6500 and above but less than Rs. 8,000 | Actual fare by any type of public bus excluding Air Conditioned bus; Or, Rs. 5 per km for journey by taxi/ own car; Or, Rs. 2 per km for journey by auto-rickshaw, own scooter/ motor-cycles/ moped etc. Or, 60 paisa per km for journey by bicycle or foot. |
| III. Rs. 4,100 and above but less than Rs. 6,500 | Actual fare by any type of public bus excluding Air Conditioned bus; Or, Rs. 2 per km for journey by auto-rickshaw, own scooter/ motor-cycles/ moped etc. Or, 60 paisa per km by bicycle or foot. |
| IV. Below Rs. 4,100. | Actual fare by ordinary public bus only; Or, Rs. 2 per km for journey by auto-rickshaw, own scooter/ motor-cycles/ moped etc. Or, 60 paisa per km by bicycle or foot. |
Notes:
- Tanga, cycle-rickshaw and man-driven rickshaws will be equated to journey by scooter/ motor cycle.
- Officers belonging to the categories at III and IV above will not be eligible for travel by taxi/ own car or taking a single seat in a taxi. If they travel by taxi for whatever reason, the mileage will be limited to Rs. 2 per km. or actual expenses incurred whichever is less.
- Special types of bus fare may also be allowed to the Officers belonging to the categories at IV above in exigencies of public service subject to the existing terms and conditions on the basis of the certificate of the Controlling Officer.
- Subject to the existing conditions as laid down in Note 2 below rule 88 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II for hiring taxis for official use within 8 km. of the Headquarters of a Government employee, the existing ceiling of the total taxi hire or similar other conveyance hire in any one month as laid down in clause (6) of the said Note 2 will be Rs.100 in respect of a Government employee.
- Subject to the existing conditions as laid down in Note 3 below rule 88 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II for official journeys on tour from residence or office to Air-port/ Railway Station/ Bus Stand and vice-versa, actual taxi hire charges may be reimbursed to the officers belonging to the pay range Rs. 8,000 and above, without having any existing maximum ceiling.