OFF THE RECORD review on latest IAS transfers.
The latest transfers of senior IAS transfers dated on the 15th September of high profile IAS officers that included the likes of Sanjay Sethi, Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, E Ravendiran, P. Anbalgan did create some news, I must say. First of all, I fail to understand how would IAS work if they are transferred frequently prior their stipulated 3 years of completion of the term? First 6 months they understand the department and just when they take the grip of the office, transfer orders come along. I was particularly surprised by the transfer of Sanjay Sethi to the BMC who was heading the MIDC as the CEO. Form what sources claim, Minister Industries Subhash Desai made it a prestige issue and nagged CM to transfer him out. Subhash Desai’s son Bhushan who has been regular on the foreign trips with his Minister father and who looks mostly after his Minister father’s “business” and laisioning, shared a cordial relation with Sethi. Sethi is also known to be in CM’s favourite Pravin Pardeshi’s good books. One theory, rather gossip mongers, say Sethi just couldn’t get adjusted to Minister’s son’s every growing demands, and the other theory says Pravin Pardeshi has started plotting his men in the BMC, because he is due to take over as the next Municipal Commissioner after current MC Ajoy Mehta becomes the next CS. Also what I had heard, Sethi was trying to go the JNPT since long. But a certain high ranking officer at the JNPT did not allow that to happen, as the same bureaucrat was “sick” of Diggikar too.
I feel bad for Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee. Being head of projects at the BMC, no results come overnight. It requires a lot of study, dedication for months & years sometimes for a project to see the light. Then the governance takes its own sweet time for approvals and everything to fall in place. Just when good days were on the horizon for Mukherjee, he was transferred to the Medical Education department. By the way, all projects entrusted to Dr Mukherjee are complete and are now just waiting for inauguration or Bhoomipujan. Rather if you look at Doctor’s career, just when he builds the project or as a matter of fact be it any assignment as Collector or at various posts, his transfer orders come and someone else gets to eat the cake and take the fame. I’m sure with the ever growing MAFIA of a veteran optholmologist and a PA of Minister Girish Mahajan calling the shots in the Medical Education department, Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee was appointed to take control of the situation with the retirement of Sanjay Deshmukh. It might be CM Fadnavis ‘s game plan also, who is rather fond of this Bengali but Nagpurian bureaucrat, to keep a check on the growing “activities” of powerful Girish Mahajan. Heard Raksha Khadse might not get repeated for the next term at the Loksabha, but Girish Mahajan’s wife might get the ticket from the party. Just FYI….
Now they say, still a round of most senior bureaucrats is pending for all those who have completed their term of 3 years at the current post. Surprisingly, it is learnt that Dr. Nitin Kareer has himself gone to the CM and asked for public health department as his next posting who is an asset to any CM and Urban Development Department. Moving out of this whole frame makes one wonder, what went wrong? What I hear is that this DP of Mumbai city has created a rift between a top official from the CMO, Kareer and the third one being his friend & now somewhat “naraaz” with Karir’s decision on some things whilst preparation of the DP. An argument turned into an ugly verbal spat one day between these two powerful bureaucrats in Kareer’s cabin which was witnessed by many. Result is Dr. Kareer got so frustrated and tired with this whole DP, that he asked for his transfer out of the UD and FYI he foes not want to go to the CMO too— and this other bureaucratic friend too is harrowed and waiting for the DP to release. See, it was not a joke to put everything on paper perfectly while preparation of the DP till 2034. We all know how these corrupt and bogus politicians lobby and protest to make changes everywhere and every-time just because they can make money. These two bureaucrats who were in charge of the DP made sure not to pay heed to these demands, but also they did make some changes only if they were convinced when the suggestions & objections were raised. In short both of them never were not fully rigid. Few advices from Dr. Avinash Bhosale and my close friend from Nagpur were taken, in bits if not fully. ЁЯШЙЁЯШЙЁЯШЕ
Vikrant Hemant Joshi
