OFF THE RECORD review on some of the headlines…
- Who is that bureaucrat who is looking for the position of Dean at the Skill Development University, after retirement? Also heard the same bureaucrat can apply for the post of CEO at Maharashtra Institute for Transformation, the state’s apex planning body (MITRA) now that Praveen Pardeshi is appointed at the CMO. Also it will be interesting to see if the same bureaucrat applies for the post of Chairperson of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee… I will reveal the name once application is done, as this bureaucrat eyes all 3 posts as of now post retirement. Why I say so, because retirement is just for namesake now..Every powerful bureaucrat works till 65/70 years and gets to keep home, car and other facilities.
- Now that Praveen Pardeshi has been appointed as the Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister, will the other 3 Ias officers post hold any importance, or has Pardeshi been given all the powers like before? Even if the post is that of Economic Advisor, we all know in the CMO, he will have an important part to play. I am sure with the likes of Shrikhar Pardeshi, Ashwini Bhide and Vikas Kharge who are working day in day out for the CM, Pardeshi will be treating them with respect and the ride will be a smooth one and cooperation will exist amongst all 4 senior IAS officers. But one thing is there, Pardeshi will speed things up.
- Mr. Chief Minister, now that you have installed the facing scanning machine at Mantralaya, can we have a record of attendance for all 48 Secretaries working inside Mantralaya building? What time they come, what time they leave. I know a lot of meetings are held at Sahyadri Guest House or at the Minister’s official residence, but my news is there are few Secretaries who are still on their honeymoon period and refuse to come to meetings at Mantralaya or even at Sahyadri. One of them is letting the corrupt MD take all calls of the department and himself chilling at home and meeting the Minister once in a while for ‘briefing’. Rest everything is one the phone.
- All are waiting for the new IPS orders at least in Mumbai who have completed their terms and also those who have recently received promotion orders. My gut feeling says it will be done after April 30th as the Mumbai CP (Vivek Phansalkar) will be retiring at the end of this month. Also, from what I know, the Joint CP’s will be transferred who have completed their term and a new set of Joint Commissioners will be assuming the charge in Mumbai. Either Deven Bharti or Archana Tyagi can be the new Mumbai Police Commissioner… and I am also told that few Additional CP’s will be changed too. There are few whom I know who have already started lobbying for the post of Commissioner at Pune and Navi Mumbai, whom I am hearing, will change. But all said and done, finally the postings will happen either in the last week of April or 1st week of May.
- In the corridors of power, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik is set to retire in the month of June. Likes of Rajesh Kumar and IQ Chahal are contenders for the post, and surprisingly a new entrant has thrown his hat in the ring to claim the post as Chief Secretary once Saunik retires. From what I know of the Chief Minister, before he appoints a CS for a longer duration, he will finish off the mystery around who will become the new CS, by appointing everyone for a selected time frame so that everyone gets a chance and retires as the CS. Very rare now in this government for any retired CS to get an extension, until the CM feels otherwise.
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
