CM back to work after about a week off
SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Tuesday returned to Valley after spending more than a week outside state reportedly in connection with his routine health check-up.
Soon after reaching Srinagar, Mufti went straight home to meet his family.
Immediately after he drove to civil secretariat where he held a meeting with senior bureaucrats to get firsthand account of the states affairs following the former chief secretary Iqbal Khanday called it quits from service on Monday.
In the afternoon, the Chief Minister called all top civil and police officers to his residence to discuss some important matters including that of the appointment of new chief secretary. The senior bureaucrats who are frontrunners to the Chief Secretarys position include Dr. Arun Kumar, Financial Commissioner Revenue, Ms. Sonali Kumar, Chairperson J&K Special Tribunal, Ashok Kumar Angurana, who is on deputation to GoI, Khurshid A Ganai, Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, and B.R. Sharma, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department.
The Chief Minister has the constitutional authority to appoint any senior bureaucrat as the chief secretary of the state according to rules. Sources meanwhile said that the name of Dr. Arun Kumar has emerged as a favorite choice of the government owing to his seniority.
It may be recalled that Kumar, who in 2008 was CEO Amarnath Shrine Board and Principal Secretary to then Governor Lt. General (Retired) S.K. Sinha, created a full-blown controversy by confirming to media that the land transfer was “permanent” and legitimate owing to the shrine boards status as a state body. It was on this controversy over the land transfer to shrine board that PDP pulled out from then PDP-Congress coalition government led by Ghulam Nabi Azad. What, however, may work in Kumars favor is that he has almost one and half years service left unlike B R Sharma who has still five years to go but Sharma appointment may flounder because he is not senior enough. Ganai is retiring in October. The new chief secretary will be cleared by the cabinet, once the government makes a choice. An official spokesman had earlier said Khandays replacement will come in due course of time.
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