VIJAYAWADA: After appointing Anil Chandra Punetha as Chief Secretary, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is learnt to have shifted focus on reshuffling IAS officers. The exercise is likely to be taken up before Dasara. With Punetha set to take charge on Sunday, Naidu would discuss with him about the rejig, before making a final call.
Sources said as it is an election year and the post of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration is lying vacant with Punetha’a appointment as CS, Naidu will do a thorough exercise before reshuffling officers in Secretariat and transferring district collectors.“The reshuffle may be the last major one before the elections. Already there are appeals by ministers and ruling party leaders with regard to appointment of officers of their choice in some departments and districts. However, the CM is considering various factors before the reshuffle to avoid unnecessary problems to administration at this crucial time,’’ sources told TNIE.
Saying that the State government is facing shortage of IAS officers and some of the officers are being forced to hold more than one department, a senior officer said that such issues cannot be resolved soon.
There is also criticism over several officers working in the same department for years.
“Some officers are continuing in the same departments even from the time of previous Congress government,’’ the source pointed out. For instance, officials such as T Vijayanand (CMD, Transco), Sasi Bhushan Kumar (Water Resources), Ajay Jain (Energy, Infrastructure, Investment), K Bhaskar (West Godavari District Collector), K Srinivasa Raju (TTD Joint Executive Officer) are continuing in the same posts for years.
LVS to get CCLA post?
Special Chief Secretary (Sports and Youth Affairs) LV Subramanyam, who was sidelined by the government for Chief Secretary post despite being the senior officer, may be given the CCLA post that fell vacant with Punetha’s elevation as Chief Secretary.
New CS to take charge today
Anil Chandra Punetha, who was appointed as Chief Secretary on Friday, will take charge from his predecessor Dinesh Kumar at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Sunday afternoon. As Dinesh Kumar is retiring on Sunday, the State government appointed Puneta, a 1984 batch IAS officer, as the new chief secretary.