Delhi’s two high-profile 1984 batch IAS officers —Rajni Kant Verma and Jalaj Srivastava — are back after the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered their transfer to the national Capital from Goa and Andaman respectively. Players’ Building is agog that both Verma and Srivastava will be given key postings as Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit is concerned about the public delivery of certain departments of her Government.
Top sources said that three more IAS officials — including Rajesh Somal, Dr Dilraj Kaur and Basant Kumar — have also been transferred to Delhi. It may be noted that the CM had earlier met Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and urged to stop the transfers of some key officials in the wake of coming Assembly polls in November this year.
Delhi Chief Secretary DM Spolia has also written to Home Ministry, requesting retaining of some bureaucrats posted at key posts — including Principal Secretary to the CM, MM Kutty, Secretary Food and Civil Supplies SS Yadav, Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Debashree Mukherjee, South Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Commissioner Manish Gupta and Special Secretary (Finance) Amit Yadav.
Talking to The Pioneer, Verma, who is currently holding the portfolio of PWD, Environment, Forest and Power department in Goa confirmed that MHA has issued an order transferring him from Goa to Delhi. Verma who was the Transport Commissioner in 2011 led the turnaround in the transport sector for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Several projects related to Commonwealth Games could be executed or completed due to Verma. He is considered one of those officials who are very adept in public delivery system that the Government needs to reach out the people in the Assembly election this year.
The Ministry has also transferred Dr Dilraj Kaur, Basant Kumar and Rajesh Somal to Delhi. Sources said that the Government is not in mood to retain some officers like Rajinder Kumar (1989 batch) who is holding the portfolio of higher and technical education), Sanjiv Kumar, Janak Digal, Dharampal (divisional commissioner), Mohanjot Singh, RK Srivastava (directorate of local bodies).
The tussle over transfers came into the open in February 2011 with Dikshit describing transfer of key officers in her administration by the Union home ministry as “unprecedented and a bolt from the blue”. She met then Home Minister P Chidambaram to express her concern. She had then described the development as “unprecedented. The Home Ministry has the authority to make transfers on its own but usually such transfers happen in consultation with the Chief Minister, the Dikshit had then said. last August, when the Home Ministry ordered transfer of 25 civil servants, Dikshit had yet again stepped up efforts to keep her team of key administrators in the Capital.