In the ongoing tussle between the Delhi Government and top bureaucrats, Principal Secretary (Power) Shakuntala Gamlin, a 1984-batch officer went on leave for 40 days. Sources close to Gamlin said that she went on leave due to her personnel reasons and it has nothing to do with the ongoing controversy between the Arvind Kejriwal Government and bureaucracy.
Insiders say that some power projects may be affected in her absence as she was pursuing the issue with the Centre to augment the power supply system in Delhi. There is possibility that in her absence Principal Secretary (Finance) SN Sahai and Secretary (Power) Sukesh Kumar Jain may be appointed as “link officer”.
Gamlin shot to fame after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal objected her appointment as acting Chief Secretary by lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung after Chief Secretary KK Sharma had gone on leave for 10 days on May 13.
Kejriwal had alleged that Gamlin was lobbying for power companies and pressurising the Government to issue letter of comfort to discoms so that they could get loan on behalf of the Government.
In a note to the lieutenant Governor, Gamlin had alleged that she was pressured by the Chief Minister’s Office to withdraw her name from the race for the post of acting Chief Secretary.
She had also complained to Jung accusing Industries Minister Satyendra Jain of putting pressure on her over conversion of industrial plots from leasehold to freehold. In her letter to lieutenant Governor, Gamlin alleged that despite the fact that land does not come under Delhi Government, the Industry Minister put pressure on her to submit a note for the Council of Ministers proposing conversion of the industrial land from leasehold to freehold.