By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 27 Mar: The current Chief Secretary Radha Raturi, who has already secured two extensions of six months, each, post her retirement appears set to finally retire on 31 March. Sources in the bureaucracy claim that the possibility of her getting another extension is remote as few bureaucrats are approved multiple extensions by the Centre. The sources add that, in case Radha Raturi, who is left with just two working days as Chief Secretary, retires, the next seniormost bureaucrat Additional Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan is likely to succeed Raturi. He has emerged as the front runner on account of several factors, the major factor being that he is the only eligible bureaucrat with the required experience to succeed Raturi.
It may be recalled that Anand Bardhan is a 1992 batch IAS officer and, therefore, qualifies to be Additional Chief Secretary and Chief Secretary having completed the mandated 30 years of service for promotion to the posts. After him, the two seniormost IAS officers are RK Sudhanshu and L Fanai. Both are 1997 batch officers and are currently posted as Principal Secretaries and need to complete two more years of service to be eligible for promotion as ACS or CS. While, technically, it is possible that on the appeal of the state government, the Centre can approve one time relaxation in rules for the promotion. However, sources remind that this is done only in exceptional circumstances. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had sought a permanent relaxation of the rules to grant permanent promotion to IPS Officer Abhinav Kumar but could not succeed. Though posted as acting DGP, Abhinav Kumar had to finally make way for Deepam Seth. It is doubtful whether Dhami will again like to stick his neck out and face the risk of embarrassment by preferring a junior officer instead of Bardhan for the post of Chief Secretary.
The tenure extension of current Chief Secretary Radha Raturi ends on 31 March, leaving her with only two working days, as the remaining days include holidays. Bardhan is the most senior IAS officer in Uttarakhand and the only ACS-level officer, making him the likely choice for the position.
Meanwhile, Radha Raturi, who has twice received six-month extensions to continue as Chief Secretary, has applied for the post of Chief Information Commissioner, a post vacant since May last year. The government is under pressure to fill this role by April, as only one Information Commissioner remains in the commission, potentially halting its operations. This situation also strengthens the likelihood of Raturi’s appointment as Chief Information Commissioner. With the exception of one Chief Information Commissioner, Anil Chandra Punetha, all have been retired or retiring Chief Secretaries in Uttarakhand.
With the appointment of Anand Bardhan as the Chief Secretary, one can also expect a reshuffle in the state bureaucracy.
