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HP Chief Secy, CIC eye RERA chief’s post

Selection panel headed by High Court Chief Justice
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Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, due to retire on March 31, and nearly half a dozen other serving and retired bureaucrats have applied for the post of the state Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Chairman.

Applications had been sought by Thursday for the RERA Chairman’s post and that of two Members, which too are vacant. Highly placed sources said apart from Saxena, former Chief Secretary RD Dhiman, currently serving as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), was also in the race for the post and he too has formally applied.

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The term of the previous RERA Chairman, Srikant Baldi, had ended on December 12, 2024. Baldi too had served as the Chief Secretary before being appointed the RERA Chairman by the previous BJP regime. The selection committee for the RERA posts is headed by the HP High Court Chief Justice while the Secretary (Urban Development) and the Secretary (Law) are its members. The entire appointment process could take more than a month, said a senior official.

Saxena, a 1990-batch IAS officer, was appointed Chief Secretary on January 2, 2023. Dhiman, a 1988-batch IAS officer, was made the CIC on December 30, 2022, upon his superannuation from the post of Chief Secretary. Though Dhiman has nearly a year left as the CIC, he appears to be eyeing a fresh three-year term as RERA Chairman.

If Saxena makes the cut for any of the RERA posts, Himachal is bound to get its new Chief Secretary before March 31. Those in the race include Sanjay Gupta, a 1988-batch Himachal-cadre officer who was superseded in the earlier appointments of Chief Secretaries. He is presently posted as Chief Managing Director, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.

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The next in the seniority list are Kamlesh Kumar Pant, a 1993-batch officer who is serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Forest), and Anuradha Thakur of the 1994 batch, who is currently on central deputation. Onkar Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), is ahead in terms of seniority from the 1994 batch.

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