Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 17: In a significant bureaucratic reshuffle, the Delhi government on Friday evening transferred or assigned additional responsibilities to 42 IAS and DANICS officers. The move followed a Union Home Ministry order earlier in the day that relocated 12 Delhi-based bureaucrats of the UT cadre to other states, and brought in an equal number of officers to the national capital.
Acting on the directions of Lt governor VK Saxena, the services department issued the reshuffle orders, marking a major administrative overhaul.
Bipul Pathak, a 1992-batch IAS officer and currently additional chief secretary (industries), was handed the additional charge of the environment and forest department, replacing Anil Kumar Singh, who was moved to Jammu and Kashmir.
Additional chief secretary (transport) Prashant Goyal has now been shifted to the urban development department. Navin Kumar Chaudhary, heading the irrigation and flood control department, has been given additional charge of public works.
PWD's A Anbarasu has been transferred to the services department but will continue as principal secretary (home). Meanwhile, Nikhil Kumar has been given the charge of both the health and family welfare department and the information and publicity department. Neeraj Semwal has been appointed divisional commissioner, with additional responsibility for the information and publicity department.
The reshuffle also saw several senior officials shifted out of Delhi, including additional chief secretary (finance) Ashish Chandra Verma, environment and forest chief Anil Kumar Singh, vigilance secretary Sudhir Kumar, and health secretary SB Deepak Kumar.
The Centre also transferred DTC MD Sachin Shinde, social welfare secretary Vinod Kavle, WCD secretary Chanchal Yadav, and home secretary Krishna Mohan Uppu.
Among those transferred to Delhi are senior officers from states and UTs such as Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, Puducherry, and Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, names of these incoming officers were not part of Friday’s reshuffle, indicating another round of postings is likely soon.
Sources said the reshuffle was expected after BJP formed government in the capital in February and is part of a larger administrative restructuring plan.