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| Omar’s governance model fails to enthuse IAS Babus, rush grows for central deputation | | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Apr 2: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s model of governance has seemingly fails to enthuse IAS Babus returning to the state government after having spent several years on central deputation.
Records bear testimony to the fact that during the last 5 years, IAS officers have come back to the state, served for a brief stint and finding what they term as ‘suffocating administrative atmosphere’, they have preferred either long leave or returned back on central deputation. In the latest instance, 1994 batch IAS officer Navin Choudhary has returned to New Delhi as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
He had returned in October 2011 and was first posted in the Agricultural department and later, sent packing to the Raj Bhawan. State government ironically first recalled Navin Choudhary to the cadre and then ignoring his 3-years experience in the Union Ministry of Finance and another 3-years in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Washington, posted him to Agriculture Department.
Choudhary had been anticipating a call from the finance ministry on his return but that never came and a disappointed Choudhary began making desperate efforts to run away from Jammu and Kashmir, said the sources. They added that bureaucrats especially IAS officers in J&K have never behaved the way; they have been behaving since the last 5 years. Choudhary served in J&K for just 2 years and 3 months after having spent six years in New Delhi and Washington.
Prior to Choudhary’s posting in the Raj Bhawan, 1990 batch IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal who had returned to the state cadre in August 2009 after having served for more than 7 years in various capacities in New Delhi, was straightway sent to Raj Bhawan. He served Raj Bhawan from August 2009 to April 2013 and thereafter, managed to get posted as Resident Commissioner, J&K in New Delhi from where he left the state cadre.
Goyal has been posted as Joint Secretary in the Department of Electronics And Information Technology. Both Goyal and Choudhary were not even considered for the posts, for which they had enough experience for reasons best known to the state government. Government preferred bestowing the chosen ones with additional charge by ignoring these officers for one reason or the other.
What has come as shock to the IAS lobby in Jammu and Kashmir is the repetition of government’s policy of dumping officers returning from central deputation on posts from where they prefer to go back. 1986 batch IAS officer Rakesh Gupta who has recently joined back after having served for more than 8 years in New Delhi on various important positions including a four year long stint with Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has been sent to Raj Bhawan straightway.
This is despite the fact that JKPSC is in dire straits and state could have utilised Gupta’s experience with UPSC but those at the helm preferred otherwise. Gupta has been posted in Raj Bhawan despite several departments being headless. Another place where Gupta’s expertise could have been utilised is School Education Department, where the incumbent Hridesh Kumar Singh is proceeding on leave shortly.
1985 batch IAS officer Krishan Ballabh Aggarwal, who returned in February 2010 has also gone back. He served the state cadre for just 3 years and 10 months. During his 3 year and 10 month stint, he was transferred 6 times. He is now working as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“The government has seemingly decided not to allow any officer who returns with expertise in any field to get the posting commensurate to his experience. Being a local seems to have been made the benchmark. This is not good for state like J&K,” said a senior IAS officer seeking anonymity.
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