Within just a few hours after taking oath as 26th Punjab chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered a major bureaucratic reshuffle by shifting 12 senior most Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers to other departments with immediate effect.
The newly formed Punjab government replaced the chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal by posting senior IAS officer Karan Avtar Singh in his place.
The former was shunted out as special chief secretary-cum-director General of Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA) in Chandigarh.
Adding to this, Karan Avtar Singh has been given the charge of the Principal Secretary Department of Personnel, General Administration and Vigilance including Principal Secretary of Investment Promotion.
Disclosing this, an official spokesperson said that Himmat Singh has been posted as Special Chief Secretary, Horticulture and additionally he is given the charge of the Special Principal Secretary, Forests and Wildlife.
Similarly, Karanbir Singh Sidhu has been posted as Special Chief Secretary, Revenue and Rehabilitation, Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice.
The spokesperson also elaborated that Satish Chandra has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary Finance. He will also serve as Additional Chief Secretary Pensions and Welfare of Pensioners wing, Principal Resident Commissioner, Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi and Additional Chief Secretary Co-operation.
Similarly, S K Sandhu has been posted as Additional Chief Secretary Social Security and Development of Women and Children while Anurag Agarwal has been posted as Financial Commissioner, Taxation.
Likewise, Raji P Shrivastava has been posted as Director, Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, Tejveer Singh has been posted as Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and in addition Secretary, Information and Public Relations and Secretary, Civil Aviation.
Another senior IAS officer Vivek Pratap Singh has been posted as Excise and Taxation Commissioner while Krishan Kumar has been posted as Secretary, Expenditure (Department of Finance) and in addition Secretary, Personnel.
Among others, Sarvesh Kaushal's transfer is termed as 'sidelined' as during elections, Captain Amarinder has complained to the Election Commission (EC) alleging that he was trying to influence the voting in favour of the then ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) government.
It was also alleged that chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal was sending unwritten missives to the district collectors to work for the candidates of the present ruling political dispensation.