The AAP Government has almost turned vindictive towards Principal Secretary (Power) Shankuntala D Gamlin. The Government on Thursday stripped Gamlin of her duties as the Principal Secretary (Industries), and if top sources are to be believed this is not the first time that the AAP had planned to shift her. Earlier too, the Government tried to send her off to the SC/ST department -- which is considered the most insignificant assignment. However, lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung had turned it down saying that she is one of the senior-most officers with an impeccable track record.
Top sources said that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has sent a proposal to transfer Gamlin from Power Department to SC/ST, which is considered a punishment posting for bureaucrats in the national Capital. However, Gamlin refused to comment on the matter. The whole issue emanated from a letter written by Gamlin to the lieutenant Governor stating that the Minister for Power Satyendra Jain pressurised her to prepare a Cabinet note for the conversion of industrial plots of Bawana and Narela as freehold land. Gamlin had argued that the acquisition of land in Delhi was done by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1961.
Subsequently, the development of land got vested with the DDA which is under the Ministry of Urban Development. Thus the power of conversion of industrial land is vested with the l-G, who represents and acts on behalf of President of India. Till date, owner of entire industrial land is vested with MHA and MoUD and thus the Government of NCT of Delhi is not the owner of this land. Therefore the conversion cannot happen unless approved by the l-G. Significantly, the viewpoint of Gamlin has been firmly approved by the law Department of Delhi Government. Sources in the DDA said that law Department note has reached MoUD, vice-chairman of DDA and the l-G. Therefore, the concurrence of law department and its communication to the DDA will impact the move of the Delhi Government to go ahead with the issue of conversion of industrial land as free-hold.
Gamlin had hogged the headlines after then Secretary (Services) Anindo Majumdar had issued orders for her appointment as the acting Chief Secretary in the absence of Chief Secretary KK Sharma, who had proceeded on 10-day leave to visit his daughter in the United States. Upset over the way Majumdar had issued Gamlin’s orders, the AAP Government had reacted immediately by stripping the officer of the powers of the Secretary (Services). On the first day of his leave, the Players’ Building had for the first time functioned without a Chief Secretary. There are reports that Sharma had proceeded on leave as he was very upset over the way he was served a show-cause notice by CM Arvind Kejriwal to explain why he had sent certain files to Raj Niwas.
Kejriwal had accused Gamlin of lobbying for power companies while she had wrote a scathing letter to l-G claiming that she was pressurised by a senior bureaucrat of CMO not to be in race for the post due to her alleged proximity to BSES discoms. Gamlin, however, ignored Kejriwal and took over the charge of the acting Chief Secretary. On the other hand, Parimal Rai, who was backed by Kejriwal, refused to be acting Chief Secretary, citing that l-G’s directions should be respected.