IAS rejig: Sitaram Kunte to head home department, Tukaram Mundhe shunted out

MUMBAI: In a major reshuffle of 18 high-ranking bureaucrats, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday appointed veteran bureaucrat Sitaram Kunte as additional chief secretary (home) and shunted out Nagpur municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe over complaints on utilisation of funds for the smart city project.
Mundhe will be replaced by Radhakrishan B, who was with Mumbai Housing Board. In his 15-year career in the bureaucracy, Mundhe has been transferred on 15 occasions.
The post of additional chief secretary (home) was vacant for more than two years. Sanjay Kumar, before his appointment as chief secretary, was holding additional charge. It has been entrusted to Kunte, who was additional chief secretary (services). Skill development additional chief secretary Sujata Saunik will take charge as additional chief secretary (services).
Former Cidco MD Lokesh Chandra was appointed principal secretary (water resources); Sanjay Mukherjee has already been appointed in place of Chandra. Former Jalgaon collector Avinash Dhakne will be new transport commissioner, while transport commissioner Shekhar Channe was appointed as managing director of MSRTC.
Shrikant Deshpande, who has come back from foreign assignment, will lead the reforms department in place of Anshu Sinha, who will head skill development department. Former Navi Mumbai civic chief Annasaheb Misal was appointed as Konkan divisional commissioner, MIDC joint CEO K V Jadhav as Nashik municipal commissioner, and Ahmednagar zilla parishad chief officer S S Patil as joint MD of Cidco.