CBI has transferred over 200 staff members who have been posted at a station for over 10 years.

In a major shakeup to increase efficiency in the Central Bureau of Investigation, the agency has transferred over 200 staff members, including those who were posted at a station for over 10 years, as part of its new rotation policy, officials said.

Two categories of transfers were effected on September 20 -- people who are stationed at a place for over 10 years and those transferred after being promoted from upper division clerks to crime assistant, a rank equivalent to assistant in central government services, they said.

The officials said a large of number of transfers in the category of staff posted at a place for over 10 years were within the city but to a different unit, as part of the new rotation policy introduced by the CBI.

"It was observed that some officials have spent over 10 years at a given place of posting. It was felt necessary that to increase efficiency they may be transferred which may be within the city to a different unit or outside the city.

"In case of promotions, it is a government policy to transfer the employees. The orders included both the categories," an officer privy to the development said.

In a string of orders issued on September 20, hundreds of lower division clerks and upper division clerks were transferred in a pan India move, the officials said.

These were in addition to routine transfers of inspector rank officials, ordered later in that week, they said.

The agency has a sanctioned strength of over 7,000 personnel, they said.

The transfers come close on the heels of a communication on August 21, 2019, from Joint Director (admin) A K Bhatnagar, who had asked heads of various units to prepare a list of officials under them who have been posted at a place for a long time.

In the letter, Mr Bhatnagar had urged the officials to stick to the transfer policy of "annual rotation" as keeping officers at a location creates discipline issues in the agency.

"All HoZs (Head of Zones) are requested to review the posting particular of each individual posted in their zone and send a list of officers and officials," Mr Bhatnagar said in the letter.

The officers were asked to furnish three choices of postings, the letter said.

They were also asked to furnish the data by September 10.

After the data was analysed, the CBI director gave go ahead to the transfers through orders issued on September 20.