Admn reshuffle CM8217;s bid to tighten grip

The bureaucrats allege that Chief Minister had not given them enough time to prove their worth and he had fallen in the trap of a younger coterie handling sensitive affairs. It is believed the recommendations of personnel department were totally changed to appoint certain officers on pick and choose basis.

A large number of officers nicknamed quot;BJP boysquot; who remained sidelined during the Congress tenures, have staged a come back to get plum positions, but several others have become victims to pre-conceived doubts about their closeness to the Congress camps.

Though Dhumal had already shifted some confidants of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh from key positions, now it was the turn of those who might not be close but manned crucial administrative affairs. Dhumal, however, says that he had gone by competence and seniority to pick up the officers for important field and other administrative positions.

What has really surprised is that some of the officers, like S. S. Parmar, who had been the principle secretary to former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had been sidelined, though known for his administrative fairness. Avay Shukla, who was managing director of HPMC has been shifted to HP State Electricity Board.

S. Behuria, who was made Secretary, Food and Supplies just a few weeks ago, has again been shifted besides Harinder Hira, Yogesh Khanna and P. Mitra. In the middle rung of the bureaucracy, the greatest surprise has come in the appointment of K. C. Verma as Additional Secretary Home and Director, Vigilance. Verma has had adverse ACRs and faced several controversies during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur and later as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation.

His tenure as Secretary, Public Service Commission was also cut short by the government. Even his colleagues are upset over allotment of this sensitive job to Verma. C. P. Pandey, a senior officer, who was earlier shifted from one PSU to another, now lands up as Director Primary Education- a much junior position. Anil Khachi has been shifted to a position being manned by an officer of commissioner rank. Few senior IAS officers have also been superseded to appoint deputy commissioners from amongst their cadres.

The government is also contemplating a similar reshuffle in the police set-up and also senior HAS officers. The only grudge of the officers remains that the government must act on some rationale in matters of transfers rather than ordering the changes at the quot;brief of a coteriequot;. Its decision not to disturb DCs of Mandi, Kangra and Hamirpur has been welcomed.