Senior State bureaucrat IAS eturns, wants Bongirwar’s job

The Chief Minister, who heard him at length, was non-committal on the plea.

An official said the Chief Minister is unlikely to disturb Bongirwar in view of his experience, particularly in the State administration. “Vasudevan was away from Maharashtra for well over nine years, while Bongirwar is well versed with the problems faced by the State, as such, it will be unwise to shift him to accommodate Vasudevan,” he added.

While supporters of Vasudevan feel that Bongirwar should take up an assignment with the Centre, preferably with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, where the post of chairman is vacant, close aides of the Chief Secretary submitted that Vasudevan should be accommodated elsewhere so that the present set-up will not be disturbed.

Even the Cabinet members are divided over shifting of Bongirwar. While Congress Ministers feel that there was no need to ask Bongirwar to take up a Central assignment, a section of the NCP ministers were of the view that the government should follow the principle of seniority and pave way for Vasudevan for the top post.

“It will be difficult for the government to accommodate him elsewhere, since equivalent posts have already been filled,” the official said, by and large, such officials are appointed as head of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission or State Industrial and Investment Corporation of Maharashtra. “All these posts have been filled recently, as such there is no vacancy,” he said.

As per the seniority list of the Maharashtra-cadre IAS officials, Vasudevan, is an official of the 1963 batch, followed by Municipal Commissioner V Ranganathan (1965 batch), State Finance Commission Chairman K C Srivastava and Arun Bongirwar. Though both Srivastava and Bongirwar belong to the same batch, the former is senior against the later.

During the Sena-BJP rule, after the then Chief Secretary P Subramanian was shifted to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission, Bongirwar was chosen for the top post superceding Rangnathan as well as Srivastava. Then Ranganathan was in the Water Supply Department and Srivastava was Additional Chief Secretary (Home).

Subsequently, while Ranganathan was shifted to the Home department, Srivastava was appointed chairman of the State Finance Commission. Later, Ranganathan was appointed Commissioner, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.

Now, while Vasudevan has been repatriated after serving the Centre for nine years, Srivastava’s term will also expire on November 30. Under such circumstances, the government will have to think about both Vasudevan as well as Srivastava, both senior to Bongirwar.