Sanchar Bhavan Aflutter Over Rash Of Transfers

There is an air of uncertainty in the corridors of Sanchar Bhavan, the headquarters of the department of telecommunications (DoT), even as top officials sought to explain away yesterday's transfer orders as routine and expected. Speculation was rife as to who would get the marching orders next.

While the transfers of 19 were time-bound, some have come as a surprise. For instance, the transfer of M K Garg, who was deputy director general (value-added services) to Jabalpur was unexpected. Garg was in the post for just over a year, before which he was at the telecom engineering centre. He is being replaced by J R Gupta, general manager (telephones), Jaipur.

 

The transfer of O P Choudhary, DDG (basic services), as a general manager in Ambala has also stunned DoT officials. He had been transferred late last month to Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) in Delhi. He served as DDG (BS) for just over 14 months and has now been replaced by J M Misra.

The transfers of these two key officials by minister for communications Beni Prasad Verma is being interpreted as a move to distance himself from the decisions of the Sukh Ram regime.

However, service company officials fear that the process of privatisation could get slowed down. Already clearances for cellular operators and allocation of frequencies have been delayed and there is a fear among operators that they may not be able to meet the December 12 deadline.

The transfers of Anita Soni and Ruchira Mukherjee, both DDGs, have also come as a surprise to observers. Eleven Indian Telecom Service officers were among those transferred, with the remaining seven from the Indian Audit and Accounts Service. Some DoT officials feel that Verma may now order the transfers of some officers from the material management section.

Meanwhile, in the light of reports that some other deals may be looked into by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), both domestic and multinational equipment vendors were apprehensive as to the direction the probe would take. Though several of the tenders in the past few years are above board on paper, it is feared that probing by the investigating agencies may throw up details on the cosy relationship that Sukh Ram shared with some companies. They also fear that their present supply contracts may be put on hold.