Rules change, 2 IPS officers now head Transport Dept

Geetanjali Gayatri

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 7

As the tug of war between IAS and IPS officers continues over appointment to top positions, the reins of the Transport Department, probably for the first time, are in the hands of two IPS officers with the Haryana Government posting 1997-batch IPS officer Amitabh Dhillon as Transport Commissioner and Secretary, Transport, today.

This comes after the government posted 1990-batch IPS officer Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor as Principal Secretary, Transport, in October last year.

He was appointed soon after Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had, in October last year, announced sweeping changes, including replacing the Regional Transport Officers with District Transport Officers to weed out corruption.

The government, in an order dated January 21, had withdrawn 22 posts of Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, and 12 posts of General Manager, Haryana Roadways. These 34 posts were included in the posts of deputation reserve in the strength and composition of the HCS (executive branch) cadre.

This means that HCS officers need not specifically be posted against these 34 posts. This notification has come after the government amended the Transport Group A rules, which now allow the appointment of any Group A officer in service of the state or the Centre rather than limiting it to HCS officers.

Though Dhillon had already “crossed over” from policing to the administration when he was posted as Director General, Mines and Geology, two IPS officers are at the helm of affairs in the Transport Department after the today’s order.

Sources say the idea is that the Kapoor-Dhillon team can push for IT-oriented programmes that would facilitate seamless working and minimise public inconvenience.

Two officers transferred

The state government has transferred two IAS officers. Amneet P Kumar has been posted as Managing Director, Haryana Scheduled Castes, Finance and Development Corporation, and Chief Executive Officer, Ayushman Bharat, Haryana Health Protection Authority. A Sreenivas goes as Managing Director, Haryana Dairy Development Cooperative Federation, in addition to his present duties.