Travelling Allowance Rules – Journeys on Transfer

7. Entitlements for journey on Transfer:

I. Unless it is otherwise indicated in this para, the entitlements of a Govt. employee for journey on transfer shall continue to be guided by the provisions laid down in rule 99 read with 100 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part – II.

II. In supersession of Finance Department Memo No. 5299-F, dt. 01.06.90, a Govt. employee on transfer will be entitled to the following concessions:

A. Transfer Grant & Packing Allowance:

The rates of lump sum transfer grant and packing allowance will be as follows:

Notes: Packing allowance is admissible to a Govt. employee subject to the conditions detailed below:

1. Packing allowance is in the of lump sum transfer grant and is sanctioned at flat rate. The same can be sanctioned without insisting on production of receipts relating to packing of personal effects.
2. Packing allowance will be admissible if any quantum of luggage is carried by the officers irrespective of the fact whether he has claimed transportation charges for the personal effects or not.
3. Packing allowance is admissible even if the officer does not shift his family but shifts his personal effects.
4. Packing allowance is admissible in full even if the officer carries only very little personal effects.
5. Full amount of lump sum transfer grant and packing allowance will be admissible only when a change of residence is involved as a result of transfer and the transfer involves a change of station located at a distance of more than 20 km from each other.
6. For transfer to a station which is at a distance less than 20 km from the old station and for transfer within the same station, the lump sum transfer grant and packing allowance will be restricted to one-third of the admissible amount provided a change of residence is actually involved.

B. Accommodation and Mileage Allowance for journeys by rail, steamer or by road:

(I). Journey by rail or steamer:

Accommodation and mileage allowance entitlements as prescribed in paras 2B and 2C above for journeys on tour between place connected by rail or steamer will also be applicable in case of journeys on transfer.

(II). Journey by road:

Where the Government employee himself with the members of his family travels by road on transfer, the entitlement will be in the following scale:

(a) Between places connected by rail:

Road Mileage, limited to rail mileage by the entitled class.

(b) Between places connected by road only:

(i) For journeys in full taxi or own car: Road mileage at Rs. 5 per km as under notwithstanding how the govt. employee and the members of his family travelled:

ii) For journey by bus: Actual bus fare for self and each member of the family.

C. Carriage of personal effects on transfer:

(a) When personal effects are carried by rail:

The pay range and the entitlement for carriage of personal effects will be as follows:

b) When personal effects are carried by road between places connected by rail:

A govt. employee carrying goods by road between places connected by rail may draw actual expenditure on transportation of personal effects by road or the amount admissible on transportation of the maximum admissible quantity by rail plus an additional amount not more than 25% thereof whichever is less.

(c) When personal effects are carried by road between places not connected by rail:

The allowance for carriage of personal effects between places connected by road only will be at the following uniform rates subject to existing conditions:

D. Transportation of Conveyance on transfer:

Subject to the existing conditions, the following modifications are made in the rules regarding transportation of conveyance on transfer:

(a) A Govt. employee on transfer shall be entitled to transportation of conveyance in the following scales:

(b) The rates of allowance for transportation of motor car or motor-cycle/ scooter by road on transfer shall be as follows subject to the existing terms and conditions:

E. Additional to and fro fare by entitled class to a Government employee on transfer:

An employee will be entitled to an additional fare by the entitled class for both onward and return journey, in addition to the normal transfer travelling allowance entitlement, if he has to leave his family behind because of non-availability of Government residential accommodation at the new place of posting:

Provided that-

(i) where the Government accommodation is available and the Officer does not accept the Government accommodation allotted to him on the ground of being of lower category or for any other reason, he will not be entitled to the additional fare, as the Government accommodation is available and the Officer had refused it;

(ii) where a Government employee brings family before actual allotment, in such cases, if T,AD. A. has been claimed for such family members, no additional fare will be admissible to the Government employee;

(iii) non-availability of private accommodation will not be treated as a ground for additional fare.

8. Travelling Allowance for Temporary Transfer:

In all cases of transfer for short periods not exceeding one hundred and eighty days, the journeys from the Headquarters to the station of deputation and back may be treated as on tour for purposes of regulating travelling allowance and daily allowance. Daily allowance will be paid for the halts at the out-station as per para 3(11) of this Annexure. Every transfer order should specify whether it is a regular transfer or a temporary transfer for a period not exceeding 180 days.

Notes:

1. No advance of pay will be allowed in the case of temporary transfer.
2. No joining time shall be admissible in cases of temporary transfer. Only the actual transit time, as admissible in case of journeys on tour, shall be admissible.
3. In order to obviate difficulty in Audit, the nature/ period of transfer is to be indicated in the T. A. Bill.
4. The period of 180 days for drawal of daily allowance for halt at an out-station on temporary transfer will be calculated on the basis of the halt which will being from the time the forward journey ends at the out-station and will end at the time the return journey commences. The claim for daily allowance for halt at the new station will require countersignature of the Controlling Officer in respect of the post at the new station, in case of any portion of the claim remaining undrawn on retransfer to the old Headquarters.
5. Save the provisions laid down above in the matter of regulating travelling allowance/ daily allowance and joining time in the case of temporary transfer, on other factors like assumption of charge of a new post, change of Headquarters, drawal of pay and allowances of the post etc. associated with the term ‘transfer’ defined in rule 5 (40) of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-I, the normal rules shall continue to apply.

9. Travelling Allowance entitlement to the State Government employees on retirement:

Notwithstanding the provisions laid dawn in rule 132 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II, travelling allowance will be admissible in respect of the journey of a retiring Government employee and members of his family from the last station of his duty to his home town or to the place where he and his family is to settle down permanently, even if, it is other than his declared home town subject to the following terms and conditions:

(a) Accommodation and Mileage allowance for journeys by rail, steamer or by road:

Entitlements shall be as for journey on transfer laid down in para 7 of this Annexure.

Explanation: In regard to the question as to how the travelling allowance in respect of the members of the family of a retiring Government employee, who do not actually accompany him is to be regulated, the provisions laid down in rule 105 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part-II may be applied mutatis mutandis in all such cases. A member of a Government employee’s family who follows him within six months or precedes him by not more than one month may, therefore, be treated as accompanying him. The period of one month or six months, as the case may be, may be counted from the date the retiring Government employee himself actually moves. The claims of travelling allowance in respect of the family members shall not be payable until the head of the family himself or herself actually moves.

(b) The Government employee shall, besides the fares for the journey, be also eligible to draw lump sum transfer grant and packing allowance, if the distance from the last station of duty to place of settlement is more than 20 km. However, as in the case of serving employees on transfer, Government employees who, on retirement, settle at the last station of duty itself or within a distance of less than 20 km. may be paid one-third of the amount of lump sum transfer grant and packing allowance, subject to the condition that a change of residence is actually involved.

(c) Transportation of personal effects at the scale and rate laid down in pera 7 of this Annexure is allowable. The Government employee shall also be entitled to claim the cost of transportation of personal effects between railway station and residence at either end of the journey as in the case of transfer.

(d) The actual cost of transporting a motor car or other conveyance maintained by the Government employee before his retirement is reimbursable as per provisions laid down in para 7 of this Annexure.

Explanation: In regard to the time-limits applicable for transportation of personal effects, the time-limit prescribed in the Explanation below sub-para (a) above in the case of members of the family, namely, one month anterior and six months posterior to the date of the move of the retiring Government employee himself, should apply in the case of transportation of his personal effects.

(e) The grant of the concession will be further subject to the following conditions:

(i) It will be admissible by the shortest route from the last place of duty of the Government employee to his home town or to the place where he and his family are to settle down permanently even if it is other than his declared home town.

(ii) The concession may be availed of by a Government employee who is eligible for it, at any time during his leave preparatory to retirement, or within six months of the date of retirement.

(iii) The concession will be admissible to the permanent State Government employees who retire on a retiring pension or on superannuation, invalid or compensation pension.

(iv) The concession will also be admissible to the temporary State Government employees who retire on attaining the age of superannuation or become invalid or are retrenched from service without being offered alternative employment, provided that they have put in a total service of not less than 10 years under the State Government at the time of retirement, invalidation or retrenchment.

(v) Where an Officer is re employed under the State Government while he is on leave preparatory to retirement or within six months of the date of his retirement, the concession may be allowed to be availed of by him within six months of the expiry of the period of his re-employment.

(vi) A Government employee will be eligible to the retirement travelling allowance concession in full, notwithstanding the fact that he had availed of leave travel concession to home town or any place in India just before his retirement.

(f) The concession will not be admissible to Government employees.

(i) Who quit service by resignation; or

(ii) Who may be dismissed or removed from service; or

(iii) Who are compulsorily retired as a measure of punishment; or

(iv) Who are temporary employees with less than ten years of service retiring on superannuation/invalidation/retrenched.

(g) The concession will not be admissible to persons who-

(i) are not in the whole-time employ of the Government or are engaged on contract;

(ii) are paid from contingencies;

(iii) are eligible for any other form of travel concession on retirement.

(h) The claims for the concession will have to be drawn on T.A. Bill forms like Transfer Travelling Allowance claims. The claims, of officers who were their own Controlling Officers before retirement will, however, be countersigned by the next superior administrative authority.

(i) Before reimbursing the Travelling Allowance admissible under these orders, the Controlling Officer should. satisfy themselves, as far as possible, that the claimant and members of his family actually performed the journey to the home town or the other place to which he might have proceeded to settle there, e.g., by requiring the production of original railway vouchers relating to transportation of personal effects. conveyance etc.

10. Definition of family:

In supersession of rule 4(7) of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part II, the term ‘Family’ is defined as follows:

“Family means a Government employee’s wife ( but not more than one wife ) or husband, as the case may be, residing with the Government employee and legitimate children and stepchildren residing with and wholly dependent on the Government employee. It also includes parent, stepmother; sisters and minor brothers residing with and wholly dependent on the Government employee.”

Notes:

1. “Children” shall mean and include major sons and married daughters including widowed daughters, so long as they are residing with and wholly dependent upon the Government employee.
2. The “children” shall also include children taken as wards by the Government employee, under the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, provided such award lives with the Government employee and is treated as a member of the family and provided the Government employee through a special will, has given such a ward the same status as that of natural-born child.
3. The married daughter can be said to be wholly dependent on the father/mother only in case of special and exceptional circumstances. such as where she has been divorced, abandoned or separated from the husband, and is financially dependent on the parent.
4. The term “sisters” occurring above, shall mean both unmarried sisters residing with a wholly dependent on the Government employee and widowed sisters residing with and wholly dependent on the Government employee (provided their father is either not alive or is himself wholly dependent on the Government employee concerned).

Explanation: A legitimate child, stepchild, parents, sisters and minor brothers who reside with the Government employee and whose income from all sources including pension (inclusive of dearness relief, temporary increase in pension and pension equivalent of gratuity) does not exceed Rs. 1500/- p.m. shall be deemed to be “wholly dependent” upon the Government employee.

11. Conveyance Allowance to Blind and Orthopaedically handicapped employees:

In partial modification of rule 29A of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part ll and supersession of Finance Department Memo No. 5299-F, dt. 1.6.90, the rate of conveyance allowance admissible to blind and orthopaedically handicapped State Government employees shall be 5% of basic pay subject to a maximum of Rs. 200/- p.m.

12. Permanent monthly Travelling Allowance/ (unconditional) Conveyance Allowance:

The incumbents of the posts to which permanent monthly travelling allowance/ ( unconditional ) conveyance allowance is attached or such allowance has been sanctioned under general or special orders of the Government shall draw permanent monthly travelling allowance /( unconditional ) conveyance allowance at the following uniform rates according to their pay ranges under the existing terms and conditions:

Explanations:

1. If the existing rates of permanent monthly travelling allowance/ ( unconditional ) conveyance allowance admissible to any category of employees are higher than the rates mentioned above, such employees will continue to draw the existing rates without further revision.
2. This order does not qualify a Government employee, who was not in receipt of any permanent monthly travelling allowance/ (unconditional; conveyance allowance to draw such benefit without prior approval of the Government.

13. Conveyance Allowance:

Subject to the provisions laid down in Appendix 5 of the West Bengal Service Rules, Part II regulating the drawal of conveyance or horse allowance, the rates of conveyance allowance prescribed in rule 29 shall be as per following maxima –

a) for horse or pony Rs. 150/- p.m.
b) for a motor car Rs. 450/ – p.m.
c) for a motor cycle Rs. 125/- p.m.
d) for a bi-cycle or tri-cycle Rs. 25/- p.m.

Note: No motor car allowance will be admissible to any Government employee drawing pay of Rs.10,000/- or less a month.