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  Rift among IAS officials out in open

Rift among IAS officials out in open

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Feb 1, 2016, 2:23 am IST
Updated : Feb 1, 2016, 2:23 am IST

The rift among IAS officials in Maharashtra is in the open now after additional chief secretary of Public Works Department, Anand Kulkarni, on his day of retirement openly criticised his colleagues.

The rift among IAS officials in Maharashtra is in the open now after additional chief secretary of Public Works Department, Anand Kulkarni, on his day of retirement openly criticised his colleagues. Refuting allegations against him regarding irregularities in transfers he had made, Mr Kulkarni accused two senior officials for starting a ‘whisper campaign’ against him. Also, a major reshuffle in the bureaucracy is on the cards, as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is not happy with performances of some of the officials. Some officers are expected to get good postings while others may be thrown out of Mantralaya.

On the day of his retirement, Mr Kulkarni fired a salvo against two senior officials in Mantralaya and alleged they were running ‘whispering campaign’ against him. Mr Kulkarni called a few journalists at his office on Sunday and told them he was being victimised. “There was a whispering campaign against me by two officials that I made out of the way transfers. But I did it according to the rules. The transfers are on record and there were no discrepancies,” Mr Kulkarni told reporters.

The senior official even said he had applied for Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (MERC) chairman post, which is vacant at present. Mr Kulkarni expressed fear that one of the officials who is against him is on the selection committee of the MERC, which might affect his chances to get the appointment. Mr Kulkarni is one of the senior most officials of Maharashtra and has worked in various departments including education, publicity and Cidco. He also had a stint in the President’s office in past.

The reaction from him has sparked the controversy in the political circle, as there are always allegations of irregularity and corruption in transfers and appointment of the government employees. It is also evident that the IAS lobby is divided into groups and function in favour of their interests, the sources in Mantralaya said. Some are close to power and end up getting good postings, the sources said.

Meanwhile, the CM has given his nod to a major reshuffle in bureaucracy after judging performances of the officials for a year. It is said that the CM does not want to retain officers who are not working on the directions given by him. He might also rope in a few officers who worked in the earlier Congress-NCP government, the sources said.