Haryana’s State Transport Minister Anil Vij has reversed former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s decision to appoint senior police officials, including IPS officers, to key positions in Haryana’s transport department. These roles, such as Regional Transport Officer and Motor Vehicles Officer, will now be filled by departmental staff and Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers.
The previous administration had assigned non-HCS officers to these positions following a vigilance bureau crackdown that led to penal actions against HCS officers on corruption charges. Senior IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapoor (1990 batch) had advocated for deploying the Haryana Police Service and other Class-I officers in the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to combat graft.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary, Minister Vij emphasized reinstating departmental staff and recommended HCS officers for RTA roles, highlighting the importance of internal accountability. As part of this restructuring, IPS officer Navdeep Singh Virk (1994 batch) was removed from the position of Principal Secretary (Transport) and transferred to the sports department.
This policy shift underscores the ongoing debate within Haryana’s administration regarding the most effective strategies to address corruption and ensure efficient functioning within the transport department.
