Punjab: CMO’s top officer retires, govt mum on extension, yet to name replacement

However, with Prasad having cleared his office of all files in the last few days and having graciously been given a farewell party as well, the chances of his reappointment in some other capacity look bleak as of now. Officials in the knowhow stated that if an extension or a fresh appointment was not forthcoming soon, then the administration will have no option but to reallocate Prasad’s work among other officers in the Chief Minister’s Office.

It is learnt that the government has not been able to take a final decision on whether to retain Venu Prasad, a confidante of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in the CMO by following a precedent set by former Chief Minister

Amarinder Singh, who had appointed then-retired IAS officer, Suresh Kumar, as Chief Principal Secretary to the CM.
Kumar’s appointment was later, however, challenged in the High Court, with the court subsequently delivering its judgement and upholding the appointment.

Sources said that with the HC already upholding the legality of such an appointment earlier, it would not be difficult for the incumbent government to reappoint Venu Prasad as the CMO. However, no orders had been issued for the same till the filing of this report on Monday.

Venu Prasad was also chairman-cum-managing director of Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited, a post that he will automatically vacate upon retirement.

There were murmurs in the circles of bureaucracy that another IAS officer, the current Financial Commissioner (Development) KAP Sinha, was in the reckoning for the coveted post in the CMO. However, there was a hiccup as Sinha is a 1992 batch officer while the incumbent Chief Secretary Anurag Verma is a 1993 batch officer. Since, the chief secretary is the top bureaucrat of the government, having a CM’s secretary senior to him may upset the order.

Although Venu Prasad, a 1991 batch officer was also senior to Verma in the pecking order but both had to work together only for a month. Interestingly, the government had named Verma as the successor only two days before the then Chief Secretary, Vijay Kumar Janjua, retired from the post on June 30. But in the present case, the government has not issued any such order till date.

Sources said if the government plans to appoint a CPS to CM, the CM would have to issue the orders. The orders can then be taken to the Cabinet for ex-post facto approval.

While it was expected that the government would reappoint Janjua as chairperson of Punjab Public Service Commission, the orders have yet not been issued. It is likely that he may get appointed.

In case the government is unable to retain Venu Prasad in the CMO, sources said, then the IAS officer is likely to be appointed in some capacity in the Right to Information Commission.