By appointing N Ravishankar as the new chief secretary of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat has sent a message to the bureaucrats that the State Government would not promote any controversial official at any cost. Additional chief secretary Rakesh Sharma, who was being considered as front runner, missed the race. Now question is being asked that why Sharma missed the raceIJ During investigation it has been revealed that IAS officers including young and senior put pressure over the Chief Minister Rawat and alleged that Sharma is not treating their junior with respect.
Sources said that he used to force their junior to make a note as per his instruction. Earlier juniors were not being forced to make note according to their senior wish but he used to force them to do so. With this junior made an appeal to the Chief Minister that that they have their long career ahead and if they would make note against the officials set norms then they will have to face music in future and then no officer would come for their rescue because they made note. In view of this, they met the CM and appeal not to make his head of the bureaucracy.
CM Rawat, who avoid any controversy or try his best to not to annoy anyone and known as mass leader, used his prerogative. Being a cabinet Minister he had served the nation during UPA-II regime so he is having own affiliation with the bureaucrat in central Government. Sources further said that most of the senior IAS had opted deputation and State was facing bureaucratic crunch in the State. It was happening because of the officer.
Being a senior IAS officer he had managed to create niche with CM Rawat and CM agreed to appoint him as new chief secretary of the State in June this year. Even then chief Secretary Subhash Kumar was appointed as chairman of Uttarakhand electricity regulatory commission but he tried to play safe game and used his energy for ensuring three months extension to the Kumar because he was suppose to retire by July 2014. Sources said that Sharma did all this because he did not want to career any failure on his head.
As Chief Minister had to face Dharchula, Doiwala and Someshwar assembly bypolls so he does not want to carry any defeat during his Chief Secretary tenure. After winning Dharchula assembly by-poll political situation changed because congress led Uttarakhand government, which was running with the support of Progressive democratic Front (PDF), has become independent because congress achieved 36 out of 71 member including nominated member Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha. PDF is comprised of three BSP, three independent and one UKD (P) officials made appeal to the chief minister twice.
Meanwhile N Ravishankar, who had gone on deputation in 2007 and was planning to resume his cadre, got support to all IAS officers because they were against the ACS. Although talking to media person, CM Rawat said that Sharma is very efficient officer and state would give more responsibility to him.