Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR: Over three dozen senior IAS, KAS and other officers were transferred to new places in the second major administrative reshuffle in bureaucracy and civil administration by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s PDP-BJP government in Jammu and Kashmir in just two months. Those shifted on Monday in a Cabinet meeting include quite a number of the officers and bureaucrats who had been transferred either by Mufti’s government on March 15 or by Governor Narendra Nath Vohra on January 27 this year.
Gazanffar Hussain, who had been appointed as Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir and replaced by Shant Manu as Commissioner-Secretary Health & Medical Education on March 15, has been shifted and appointed as Commissioner-Secretary General Administration Department. Even Shantmanu, and another IAS officer Ashok Parmar, who had been given new places of posting recently, have been kept waiting for another posting.
Knowledgeable sources told State Times that initially there was the proposal of appointing Baseer Khan, currently Secretary Transport, as the new Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir. However, his involvement in allotment of State land under Roshni scam and strictures by High Court compelled the Cabinet to make a replacement. Consequently, the best-connected bureaucrat and Commissioner-Secretary Agriculture Production Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, who in the past has served as DC of Srinagar and Anantnag, was picked up as the new Divisional Commissioner for Kashmir.
Raj Kumar Goyal, under orders of repatriation from the Government of India, has been posted as Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department, relieving B.R. Sharma, of the additional charge of the post. Navin Kumar Choudhary, another IAS officer got repatriated from the Central deputation within a year, has been posted as Commissioner-Secretary to the Government, Finance Department, relieving B.B. Vyas of the additional charge. Choudhary was currently Joint Secretary in union Ministry of Defence. Both have served as Principal Secretary to Governor.
Third IAS officer got repatriated from the Central deputation, Dheeraj Gupta, has been posted as Commissioner-Secretary to the Government, Relief and Rehabilitation Department. He shall also be the Chief Executive Officer, Project Monitoring Unit of the World Bank Project.
In a significant development, Deputy Commissioner of Poonch Mohammad Hussain Malik has been transferred and posted as Secretary to Chief Minister. Young IAS officer Mohammad Aijaz, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Khansahib, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
While as Transport Commissioner Dilshad Khan has been removed to the insignificant posting of Commissioner Enquiry in the wake of massive allegations of corruption in her office and offices of all RTOs and ARTOs in J&K, Director-General of Fire & Emergency Services Dr. G.A. Bhat has been transferred and posted as Secretary (Technical) in the Home Department, vice R.S. Sodhi. Sodhi will be the new DG Fire and Emergency Services.
Hirdesh Kumar, awaiting orders of posting, has been posted as Secretary Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports Department, vice Khurshid Ahmad Shah. He shall also be the Administrative Secretary, Information Technology Department.
Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari, Commissioner-Secretary GAD has been transferred and posted as Commissioner-Secretary Agriculture Production vice Asgar Samoon.
Vineeta Gupta, Secretary Cooperatives has been transferred and posted as Officer on Special Duty in GAD.
Satesh Nehru, Secretary Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Department, has been transferred and posted as Secretary Animal & Sheep Husbandry vice Ashok Kumar Parmar. Nehru shall also be Secretary, Science & Technology.
Mandeep Kumar Bhandari, Chief Executive Officer, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, under orders of transfer as Secretary to the Government, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, with additional charge of the post of Chief Executive Officer, Project Monitoring Unit of the World Bank Project, has been transferred and posted as Secretary Health and Medical Education vice Shantmanu.
Nirmal Sharma, Excise Commissioner, has been transferred and posted as Director, J&K Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development, relieving Mohammad Ashraf Bukhari of the additional charge.
Khurshid Ahmad Shah, Secretary Technical Education, Youth Services and Sports has been transferred and posted as Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj vice Mr. Shafaat Noor Barlas who is retiring on May 31.
Saurabh Bhagat, Secretary Information Technology and Science & Technology, has been transferred and posted as Secretary Consumer Affairs& Public Distribution and Tribal Affairs Department.
Hilal Ahmad Parray, Director, Urban Local Bodies, Kashmir, has been transferred and posted as Secretary Cooperative vice Vineeta Gupta.
Tsering Angchok, Director Handlooms has been transferred and posted as Excise Commissioner vice Nirmal Sharma.
Ajeet Kumar Sahu Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, has been transferred and his services have been placed at the disposal of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, SMVDSB, vice Mandeep Kumar Bhandari.
Salma Hamid, Additional Commissioner Kashmir, has been transferred and posted as Vice-Chairperson, Srinagar Development Authority Mohammad Saleem Shishgar.
Yasha Mudgal, Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, has been transferred and posted as Director, School Education, Jammu, vice Simrandeep Singh, who has been appointed as DC Jammu in place of AK Sahu.
Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur, vice Yasha Mudgal.
Parvez Iqbal Khateeb, Director, Technical Education has been replaced by Showkat Ahmad Zargar and appointed as Transport Commissioner vice Dilshad Khan.
Ali Raza, under orders of transfer as Project Director, DRDA, Kargil, has been transferred and posted as Secretary in the Tribal Affairs Department.
Jahangir Mir, Special Secretary Social Welfare Department, has been transferred and posted as Director General, Youth Services and Sports, vice Navin Kumar Aggarwal, who shall report to the Home department for further orders.
Mohammad Saleem Shishgar, Vice-Chairman, Srinagar Development Authority, has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary Social Welfare Department.
Ajay Singh Jamwal, Additional District Development Commissioner, Udhampur, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner, Kathua, vice Shahid Iqbal Choudhary.
Ghulam Nabi Balwan, Director, Rural Development, Jammu, has been transferred and posted as Secretary, J&K State Information Commission, vice Manohar Lal Raina.
Gazanffer Ali, Director, Social Welfare, Kashmir, has been transferred and posted as Director, Handicrafts, J&K, against an available vacancy.
Hashmat Ali Yatoo, Additional District Development Commissioner, Anantnag, has been transferred and posted as Director, Social Welfare, Kashmir, vice Gazanffer Ali Mir.
Rajesh Sharma, Regional Director, Survey and Land Records (ex-officio Settlement Officer), Udhampur, has been transferred and posted as Director, Handlooms, J&K, vice Tsering Angchok.
Mohammad Harun Malik, Regional Director, Survey and Land Records (ex-officio Settlement Officer), Srinagar, has been transferred and posted as Director, Agriculture, Kashmir.
Nisar Ahmad Wani, Special Secretary to the Government, Public Works (R&B) Department, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, vice Mohammad Hussain Malik.
Manohar Lal Raina, Secretary, J&K State Information Commission, has been transferred and posted as Director, Rural Development, Jammu, vice Ghulam Nabi Balwan.
