TN govt changes 28 IAS, 88 IPS officers in 5 weeks in major bureaucratic reshuffle

While officials are tight-lipped on the transfers, local media has been speculating that some of them could be due the AIADMK's drubbing in the recent parliamentary elections.

IAS trainees (representational image) | www.narendramodi.in

New Delhi: There has been a major bureaucratic churn in Tamil Nadu, with the AIADMK government affecting wholesale changes in the functioning of its personnel.

On Wednesday, the government transferred seven IAS officers, allotting departments to six of them while notifying that the orders regarding V. Amuthavalli, the outgoing commissioner of social welfare, will be issued separately.

With this, the government has reshuffled 28 IAS officers and 88 IPS officers in less than five weeks. While the transfer of the IPS officers came in three back-to-back orders, the changes in the IAS cadre have been relatively more spaced out with eight orders in the five weeks.

The changes include the appointment of a new Chief Secretary in K. Shanmugam, Director General of Police in J.K. Tripathy and Finance Secretary S. Krishnan.

While officials are tight-lipped on the transfers, local media has been speculating that some of them could be due to the AIADMK’s drubbing in the recent parliamentary elections, which the party has attributed to non-cooperation of certain officials.

Not everyone, however, feels it is unusual.

“Considering transfers in Jayalalithaa’s regime, this isn’t unusual. But it is uncommon to see these happening in the current government,” a government source said. “This could also be just coming from the new chief secretary and nothing in particular.”

The bureaucratic reshuffle

Among the changes are officials attached to district administrations to help with the formation of three new districts — Chengalpattu, Kallakurichi and Tenkasi — that the state government announced recently.

While A. John Louis, vice-chairman and CEO of the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board, has been appointed to assist Kancheepuram with the formation of the Chengalpattu district, Health and Family Welfare joint secretary Kiran Gurrala will help Villupuram with creating Kallakurichi district. Additional director of sugar, G.K. Arun Sundar Thayalan, will assist Tirunelveli with the formation of Tenkasi district.

There have also been appointments pertaining to the state election commission with V. Rajaraman being posted as the additional chief electoral officer.

A high-profile transfer was that of Salem’s first woman district collector, Rohini R. Bhajibhakare, who is now the registrar of the Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University. It led to protests in the city with outfits such as the Akila Bharatha Hindu Maha Sabha seeking nullification of the order.

Bhajibhakare has been replaced by Vellore Collector S.A. Raman who had conducted raids on the properties of DMK treasurer Duraimurgan, which led to the cancellation of the Lok Sabha polls in the Vellore constituency. Chennai District Collector A. Shanmugasundaram was appointed the Vellore collector in the last week of June. The Vellore parliamentary seat will go to polls on 5 August.

Among other changes, Salem Commissioner of Police K. Shankar was promoted and posted as IG, CB (CID), Chennai. Chief Minister Eddapadi K. Palanisamy belongs to Salem.