A controversy is brewing over the posting of two Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to two key jobs in the state administration.
The posts are reportedly meant for IAS officers, and their powerful fraternity is not pleased by this ‘’intrusion’’ into their domain.
The IAS Officers Association has stepped in and is set to take up the matter with chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Government sources told Express that the IAS lobby is angry after the state government posted IFS officers Chiranjiv Chowdary as commissioner in the Women Development and Child Welfare Department and A K Jain as vice-chairman and housing commissioner in the AP Housing Board.
While the post Chowdary is holding is an IAS cadre post (meant only for IAS officers), the one held by Jain, though not an IAS cadre post, has by convention been given to IAS officers on deputation.
‘’This is a clear violation of the norms. The posts are not meant for non-IAS officers. We will not tolerate this,’’ fumed a senior officer. Another alleged that Jain’s posting was done at the behest of a first-time minister from Nalgonda while Chowdary’s posting too was ‘’political.’’
‘’We did not expect the government to play mischief with the IAS fraternity,” said one officer.
Some IAS officers have reportedly expressed their displeasure to the new chief secretary Minnie Mathew.
The IAS Officers Association will shortly meet the chief minister and request him to shoo both IFS intruders out of IAS territory.‘’This is sheer cadre mismanagement,” said an officer.
“When there are IAS officers around, why post IFS officers who do not have the expertise required in these departments?’’ While Jain is a 1983 batch IFS officer who has worked as additional principal chief conservator of forests, Chowdary, (1989) was chief conservator of forests and special secretary to the government (irrigation and command area development).