Lucknow: In a late night order Thursday, the Uttar Pradesh government transferred over a dozen Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, including those who were said not to share rapport with their ministers.
The most talked about transfer was that of 1994-batch IAS officer Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma, who was moved from the post of principal secretary, health department, to basic and Madhyamik education department.
Another 1994-batch officer Amit Kumar Ghosh took over from Sharma, who had reportedly been at loggerheads with Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak for the past few months. Ghosh was earlier serving as principal secretary of UP secretariat administration department, animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries department.
Just a few days earlier, another IAS officer Kinjal Singh, who was serving as Director General of Medical Education, was shifted to the post of transport commissioner.
Pathak, sources in the health department said, was not fully satisfied with that move, and Sharma’s transfer followed soon after.
The minister, they added, had not been satisfied with the transfer and posting of chief medical officers (CMOs) for the past one year. His tussle with department officials, however, has been going on for a much longer time. Earlier in 2022, IAS officer Amit Mohan Prasad was transferred after a prolonged dispute with Pathak.
Another transfer that drew attention was of Mukesh Kumar Meshram, a 1995-batch IAS officer who had been serving as principal secretary in the tourism department since September 2020. He has now been shifted to the animal husbandry, dairy, and fishery development department.
In Meshram’s case, Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh was said to be unhappy with the tender process in his department.
At one point, he flagged irregularities in the purchase of musical instruments, questioning why an instrument worth Rs 8,000 was procured for Rs 36,000. He even initiated an inquiry into the matter. Since then, tensions between the minister and the officials had been on the rise, people in the know said.
1995-batch IAS officer Amrit Abhijat is the new principal secretary of tourism, culture and religious endowments. Earlier, he was posted as principal secretary, urban development.
Meanwhile, additional charges of several departments have been withdrawn from chief secretary S.P.Goyal who is on medical leave since mid-August.
These include as the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC), chairperson of Pradeshiya Industrial & Investment Corporation Of Uttar Pradesh (PICUP), CEO of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) and UP State Highways Authority (UPSHA), and coordination department and project director of Uttar Pradesh Diversified Agriculture Support Project Coordination Unit (UPDASP).
Agriculture production commissioner and additional chief secretary Deepak Kumar has been given additional charge of IIDC, chairperson of PICUP, CEO UPEIDA, CEO UPSHA, coordination department, project director, UPDASP and Civil Aviation.
The transfer list also indicates that 1990 batch IAS officer Deepak Kumar is emerging as more powerful, as he has been given charge of heavyweight departments.
“The latest transfers suggest a shift in perception. Until now, it was believed that (chief secretary) S.P.Goyal had a major influence over IAS postings,” a senior functionary in the Chief Minister’s Office told ThePrint.
“But at present, Additional Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar and Principal Secretary Sanjay Prasad appear to hold that key power, both being considered close to the CM. The reshuffle also indicates that the government is trying to address the growing friction between some ministers and officials.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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