Mumbai Confidential: Under Probe

Add one more to the slew of inquiries against Param Bir Singh — into “administrative lapses” by him when he was Mumbai Commissioner. This one is likely to cover matters such as transfers and postings among others. The government has handpicked 1986-batch IAS officer Debashish Chakravarty to conduct this inquiry. What he has in common with another IAS officer, his batchmate Bijay Kumar — who is conducting a probe into former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s pet water management project Jalyukt Shivar — is that neither was a favourite of the previous BJP-led government.

Posting Pause

Days after IAS officer Abhimanyu Kale’s abrupt transfer from the post of FDA Commissioner following the Fadnavis-Remdesivir controversy, the government put him out to pasture in the medical education department as deputy secretary. Kale is yet to take up this post.

Three Rejctions

IAS officer Ashwini Joshi had taken on the wealthy and mighty as collector of Thane, collector of Mumbai city and later as additional commissioner at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Clearly she had rubbed the Shiv Sena-led MVA government the wrong way. In the last year, she got three pasture side appointments, all of which she rejected. Now she has been designated as Development Commissioner (unorganised labour), and she took charge last week.

Not Amused

Shiv Sena leader and chairman of Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavlambhan Yojna Kishore Tiwari has demanded that BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari be given charge of the health portfolio for better Covid-19 management in the country. Subramanian Swamy made a similar demand earlier. Tiwari believes Gadkari is known for quick action. And he has cordial relations across the political spectrum. However, state BJP leaders are hardly amused at the growing disenchantment with the central leadership.