Post-retirement, babus grab plum posts

Take the case of Shivraj Singh, who retired as Chief Secretary last month. Within two days after his retirement, the BJP Government appointed the 1972 batch IAS officer as Chief Minister8217;s advisor, a post equivalent to that of Chief Secretary with same emoluments. He has also been made director of the Chhattisgarh State Mining Corporation. Now, there are whispers in the corridors of state secretariat about his continued clout over the administration.

His predecessor R P Bagai was tipped to be accommodated in the Cooperative Tribunal but it did not materialise.

Another former Chief Secretary A K Vijayvargiya became the state8217;s first Chief Information Commissioner while his predecessor S K Mishra is chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Arun Kumar, who became the first Chief Secretary following the creation of Chhattisgarh in November 2000, later took up his post-retirement job as chairman of State Administrative Reforms Commission, which was set up by the previous Ajit Jogi Government.

When IAS officers have their way, can their Indian Police Service IPS and Indian Forest Service IFS brethren lag behind?

Immediately after the creation of Public Service Commission PSC in the state, the then Director General of Police S M Shukla, who had two years to go for retirement, was appointed PSC chairman while his successor R L S Yadav, after his retirement, became an advisor to the then Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, mainly to look after political matters. Yadav faced criticism from various quarters, including from within the Congress, for organising conventions of other backward classes OBC across the state.

While another retired DGP V K Das could not get any suitable post, his successor Ashok Darbari, on his retirement, took up the post of PSC chairman. During his tenure, scandals and irregularities rocked the PSC, leading to his suspension from the post and the matter subsequently went up to the Supreme Court.

As for the IFS officers, R C Sharma who retired as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests PCCF was appointed CEO of state Herbal and Medicinal Plants Promotion Board.

Sources said hectic lobbying was now on by an IAS officer and an IPS officer, who were due to retire this month, to grab the post of PSC chairman, which is now lying vacant. Similarly, an Additional Chief Secretary is being tipped for a post in the State Human Rights Commission while a retired Additional Director General of Police is all set to get re-employment to head the police training wing.

The official explanation for re-employment of retired persons on contract basis is that since formation of the state, there has been a shortage of IAS and other officials. 8220;There is no specific policy as such. Every such service extension and re-appointment on contract is being made on a case-to-case basis, depending on the requirement,8221; said a senior minister in the Raman Singh Government. 8220;As far as other appointments are concerned, it is the prerogative of the Government of the day. After all, experience has no other substitute.8221;