Major shake-up in state bureaucracy on the cards

A major shake up in the Maharashtra bureaucracy is on the cards.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today appointed Subodh Kumar, a 1977 batch IAS officer, as the commissioner of India’s richest civic body — the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Kumar replaces Swadhin Kshtriya who has been appointed as the revenue secretary.

Chavan favoured Kumar – who was repatriated from New Delhi following his stint at the telecom ministry – to checkmate the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance ruling the BMC. The elections to BMC is slated for February 2012.

Kumar, who goes by books, may not fall prey to tactics of the ruling alliance ahead of elections. Chavan has picked Kumar for the BMC job at a time when the government in the recently-concluded winter session of the state legislature had announced to take stock of BMC’s accounts of the last three years and probe its functioning.

Besides, Chavan would soon make important appointments of a full-time secretary to the energy department and vice chairman and managing director of the state-run City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco).

The state that has resolved to become load shedding free by 2012, does not have a full time energy secretary for the last two years. Subrat Ratho, an IAS of 1986 batch, who is the managing director of MahaGenco, is holding additional charge as energy secretary.

The Cidco vice chairman and managing director’s posts are lying vacant for the last eight months. Joint Managing Director Tanaji Satre is holding additional charge.

A state government official, requesting anonymity, told Business Standard “The post of Cidco’s vice chairman and managing director is generally held by a senior officer of the rank of principal secretary or additional chief secretary. It is now crucial as the ministry of environment and forests has given a conditional environmental clearance to the Navi Mumbai international airport. Cidco is the nodal agency for this project.”

The official said Ratnakar Gaikwad, an IAS officer of 1975 batch, who is currently the metopolitan commissioner, may be considered for the Mantralaya. Chavan is also keen to bring back Rajeev Agarwal, a 1975 batch IAS, who is consumer affairs secretary at the Centre.

Chavan has already hinted at changing incumbent chief secretary JP Dange. Chavan would soon take a call on Dange’s successor to make the administration transparent and focus on good governance. The chief minister may bring in a senior bureaucrat as the finance secretary.

Incumbent Vidyadhar Kanade is on training and AK Jain, the principal secretary to the chief minister, is holding additional charge of the finance department.