No foreign trips without prior permission, Bengal government tells employees

Kolkata: The West Bengal government has issued a directive making prior permission mandatory for all foreign trips by government employees, including personal visits, official assignments and Leave Travel Concession (LTC) tours.

A notification issued by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant stated that no travel or accommodation arrangements should be made before obtaining approval from the competent authority, warning that any such action would violate administrative rules.

“It has come to the notice of this office that certain government officials across various departments are applying for permission from the competent authority for private foreign visits, foreign visits under LTC., or official visits after already making travel bookings and accommodation arrangements,” the notification said.

“Such actions undermine adherence to existing rules and procedural norms. It is therefore reiterated that no relaxation or special consideration shall be entertained merely on the basis that travel or accommodation arrangements have already been made. All concerned are advised to strictly adhere to the extent instructions governing prior permission for such visits, in order to ensure procedural propriety and administrative compliance,” it added.

The circular also directed all heads of departments to ensure that proposals for foreign visits are sent at least four weeks before the commencement of leave.

The Chief Secretary made it clear that prior approval is compulsory for any foreign travel and warned that disciplinary action may be taken against employees who fail to comply.

According to government sources, the move is aimed at enforcing greater discipline and transparency in the process of granting foreign travel permissions.