The Delhi Government is faced with acute shortage of officers as none of the IAS, DANICS officials posted to other States in the cadre and the Union territories want to join the Delhi Government.
Chief Secretary KK Sharma has taken up the issues with the Minister of Home Affairs (MHA) and the States of the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre to relieve those officials who have been transferred to Delhi. What is even more worrying for the Delhi Government is the fact that some of the officials who are already in Delhi have proceeded on leave as they are looking for other avenues.
After Chetan B Sanghi, Amar Nath, a 1994 batch of AGMUT cadre officer has recently extended his leave for one and half month as he seems to be reluctant to join the Delhi Government after his powers was cut by the AAP Government when he was secretary Health.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the Home Ministry is writing to all Union territories, asking them to relieve all those officers who have been transferred
to Delhi.
The Home Ministry has taken up the issue after the Delhi Government’s plea to direct other Union Territories to relieve those who have been transferred to Delhi as the State Government has relieved all those who have been transferred.
There are over a dozen officials who have not joined Delhi despite their transfer orders. There is acute shortage of officials in Delhi and several departments are being held by junior level officers. According to sources, there are no Principal Secretary rank officers in departments such as Transport, Food and Supplies, Environment, PWD, Health and Power.
In related development, After Sanghi episode, Amar Nath, a 1994 batch
officer has extended his leave for another one and half month. Sources said that his leave application was cancelled by the Government but after meeting with senior officials in the bureaucracy, his leave application was accepted. Nath, is on leave since February 1 due to differences with the Minister and he was to resume work from April 1 but he is unlikely to do so.
It is noted that Nath is empanelled as joint secretary with the Central Government. Though Nath had officially cited ‘personal grounds’ for his one and half month leave sources said he was unhappy with Health Minister Satyendar Jain’s order asking the officials to directly put up files to him without routing them through the health secretary’s office.
Soon after Nath went on leave in February, Jain gave charge of the Secretary (Health) to a 1992-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.
In his signed order, Jain had said that Dr Tarun Seem “shall look after the work of Secretary (Health) in addition to his own duties till either the Secretary (Health) resumes duty or till specific orders for alternative arrangement are made by the undersigned.”