Mumbai confidential: Who will be the next Chief Secy of Maharashtra?

The acting Chief Secretary Debashish Chakrabarty is retiring on February 28 and his extension looks unlikely in view of the strained relationship between the state and the Centre. Additional Chief Secretary (home) Manukumar Srivastava of 1986 batch, Additional Chief Secretary, general administration department Sujata Saunik and her husband and additional chief secretary of PWD and finance department Manoj Saunik of 1987 batch are strong contenders for the top post. If the state selects Manoj Saunik, then he will supersede his wife. Two more officers – Ashwani Kumar (1987) and Jayashree Mukherjee (1986) — too are in the reckoning for the top job.

SAFE DISTANCE

Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadanvis’s wife Amruta Fadanvis courted yet another controversy by blaming Mumbai’s traffic for divorces. The BJP, meanwhile, is distancing itself from her statement with the party’s state President Chandrakant Patil refusing to comment on the issue, stating that it was Amruta’s personal statement. While the Shiv Sena was quick to launch an attack on Amruta for her remarks, the BJP’s women wing is a little slow in rising to her defence. The buzz in the party is that although Mumbai traffic is a reality, the theory that it causes divorces is a bit difficult to digest.

HAPPY ENDING

Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari seeking some clarification on the bill providing OBC quota in the local bodies created panic in the MVA government. However, if a senior bureaucrat is to be believed, a small change in the government strategy helped in getting the assent of the governor, with whom the MVA shares a testy relationship. The government decided to depute the secretaries of the departments concerned first to brief the governor on the bill and then to send the ministerial delegation to avoid politicising the issue. As a result, the governor gave his assent to the bill immediately after the secretaries briefed him and then an hour later, the ministers’ delegation met and thanked him.

PROBLEM OF PLENTY

Three joint commissioners of the Mumbai Police, Vishwas Nangre Patil heading law and order, Milind Bharambe, head, crime branch, and Rajvardhan Sinha, who is heading the traffic police, have been cleared for promotion as Additional Director General of Police level. But at present, there are not enough posts of additional DGs in the state. As a result, the home department is contemplating giving them in situ promotions (means promote them, but upgrade the posts and keep them there) as there are not enough posts of additional DGs.

WAITING MODE

the MVA government has often been criticised for not appointing a regular DGP and a regular Chief Secretary and now it seems to be dragging its feet on appointment of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests or head of forest force. Both DGP Sanjay Pandey and chief secretary Debashish Chakrabarty have been holding additional charge of the post. On January 31, the principal chief conservator of forest G Saiprakash retired. Two officers –Pravin Srivastava and YLP Rao — are in the zone of consideration. But the state government has not been able to decide on a name despite hectic lobbying for the post.

NOTHING NEW

In former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s statement to ED, he mentions how some posts in Mumbai that are cadre posts, supposed to be filled only by IPS officers, were given to non-cadre state officers and blamed former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh for it. Mumbai has, however, since long and much before Deshmukh, conveniently forgotten about this rule with several non-cadre officers being posted in the city as DCPs for over a decade, pointed out several senior officers.

CONTRIBUTED BY YOGESH NAIK, SHUBHANGI KHAPRE, VISHWAS WAGHMODE, MOHAMED THAVER