NEW DELHI: In a surprise decision, the Centre on Friday transferred Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik to Goa. The move comes over two months after the government scrapped J&K’s special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories of J&K and Ladakh, which will come into effect on October 31.
Gujarat-cadre IAS officer Girish Chandra Murmu will be the first L-G of J&K, while retired bureaucrat Radha Krishna Mathur will take over as L-G of Ladakh. Barely four days ago, Malik had described the post of the governor as weak. “Governor is a very weak office… a poor fellow who has no power to address a press conference or speak openly.”
Government sources say that Murmu, who had served as the principal secretary to the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, was picked as he is trusted by both Modi and Amit Shah. In 2014, Murmu was brought to Delhi as Officer on Special Duty in the PMO. Till Friday, he was serving as Secretary, Department of Expenditure. The 59-year-old was born in Odisha and went to the UK for his higher education.
The LG of Ladakh, Radha Krishna Mathur is a retired 1977 batch IAS officer from the Tripura cadre. He retired as the Chief Information Commissioner of India in November 2018. Earlier, he had held the crucial post of Defence Secretary for two years from 25 May 2013.
Meanwhile, Kerala BJP chief Sreedharan Pillai will be the new Mizoram governor. He is the second party leader from Kerala to be sent to Mizoram. Earlier, Kummanam Rajasekharan was made Mizoram governor but he resigned before the Lok Sabha polls to contest from Thiruvananthapuram.
J&K interlocutor is Lakshwadeep administrator
The Home Ministry also took another important decision in J&K’s context. The interlocutor of J&K Dineshwar Sharma was appointed as Lakshwadeep administrator, putting an end to the primary job he was engaged for — dialogue with all sections of people in J&K.
The President also appointed Kerala BJP chief P S Sreedharan Pillai as the governor of Mizoram, according to a government release. At present, Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi holds additional charge of Mizoram. Pillai is the second Kerala BJP chief to become Mizoram governor. His predecessor Kummanam Rajasekharan was also earlier appointed governor to the state but he resigned to fight from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat.
Kerala BJP chief made Mizoram Governor
Kerala BJP chief Sreedharan Pillai is the new Mizoram governor. He is the second party leader from Kerala to be sent to Mizoram. Earlier, Kumm-anam Rajasekharan was made Mizoram governor