The Superior Selection Board (SSB) will discuss various administrative issues at a meeting today, but the issue of promotion has not been included in the agenda, said sources.

The latest spell of promotion came on June 13, 2002, with 173 officials upgraded to joint secretary.

Since then, 49 joint secretaries have retired, two have taken voluntary retirement, three have been forced into retirement and five promoted to additional secretaries. Moreover, 41 more joint secretaries will retire at the year-end.

Still, the government is unnecessarily holding off filling a vacuum of 59 posts in the administration, said the sources.

Although the 1981 batch is considered one of the best since independence and became eligible for promotion over two years back, the government has no plan to promote any official from it, the sources added.

A group of policymakers of the ruling BNP and some top officials of the administration assume that the 1981 batch officials are pro-Awami League (AL), as many of them were appointed as deputy commissioners during the AL rule.

Official sources said the government is thinking of promoting officials of the 1982 batch ahead of the 1981 batch. The 1982 batch officials will earn eligibility for joint secretary in January 2004.

Even if the government plans to give promotion to officials of the 1981 batch along with their juniors of 1982, the majority of the 1981 batch officials will be left out, many officials fear.

Meanwhile, the government decided to upgrade 104 joint secretaries of the 1977 and 1979 batches to additional secretaries soon, who will supersede 153 officials of 1973, said highly placed sources. Presently, there are 41 vacancies for additional secretary.

They said the government will push ahead with its decision on promoting the officials of the two batches to additional secretaries even by relaxing the promotion policy.

The sources added that 173 officials of the 1977 and 1979 batches were promoted to joint secretaries against only 46 vacancies before.

They accused the government of adopting a partisan policy on promotion and posting. The government, keeping in mind the next general election to be held in 2006, wants to see its own men at the top, they alleged.