While Finance Secretary Ajoy Kumar Sinha and Special Secretary Harish Nayar’s tenures ended on Tuesday, Arjun Sharma and Saurabh Mishra, were relieved last year. They were both posted as sub-divisional magistrates besides additional charges as land acquisition officer and information technology director, respectively.
Former education secretary BL Sharma and transport secretary Ajay Singla retired last year. In contrast, only one IAS officer, Sarpreet Singh Gill, joined the administration last month. Sinha was holding charge of 16 departments, most of which have been given to Arun Gupta, principal secretary, home. In addition to his existing departments, Gupta will head finance, excise and taxation, planning, estate and housing departments. He has also been designated as the chief electoral officer and chief administrator. With this, he now holds 24 charges in all.
UT adviser Manoj Parida will now chair the Chandigarh Housing Board, a charge earlier with Sinha. Deputy commissioner Mandip Singh Brar has also been given charge of the transport department. Sarpreet Singh Gill, who joined the administration last month, has been appointed as education and technical education secretary and special secretary for finance, house allotment and vigilance.
Meanwhile, for Sinha’s replacement, the administration has sent a panel of three Punjab cadre IAS officers to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The administration is expecting the MHA’s response within a month.
Criticising the slow replacements for officers, RTI activist RK Garg said, “It is pertinent to mention that retirements and completion of deputations are known well in advance, but no timely action is taken for replacement. It is not for the first time that the UT has seen such sorry state of affairs; there is almost a complete history.”
