Two officials but one post

A jubilant Kashyap came down to the city, ready to occupy a plush office with a posse of staff. But when he went to his new office in Usmanpura to take charge, he was shocked to find Kanubhai J Shah, supposedly his predecessor, going about his usual work without any inkling of the State Government move.

Obviously, Shah refused to hand over charge saying he was not supposed to vacate the post until November 30, 1999, the date his contract with the AMC ends. Shah, a senior AMC official, was appointed chief executive of the SRFDCL on his retirement.

The then commissioner B K Sinha, foreseeing the need for a successor to Shah, had requested the State Government to send an IAS officer to head the all-important SRFDCL. The Government did respond, but Kashyap is not an IAS officer and Shah is yet to give up charge.

While this has put the AMC in a fix, the Commissioner was not available for comment. And for Kashyap, it was a forced holiday.