In a major rejig in the Karnataka’s bureaucracy by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, 10 IAS officers were transferred on Tuesday, including the Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister.
1987-batch IAS officer M Lakshminarayana, who was made the Additional Chief Secretary to the CM by two-day CM BS Yeddyurappa, has now been transferred as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Social Welfare Department.
BS Shekharappa (2004-batch IAS) who was serving as the Additional Secretary to the CM has also been shunted out and has been given the positing of Director, Directorate of Command Area Development Authority, Bengaluru. Now, 1988-batch IAS officer Dr EV Ramana Reddy, who was serving as the Principal Secretary in the Revenue Department, has been made the Principal Secretary to the CM. He, however, will still continue as the Revenue Department Principal Secretary.
In the other major change, Excise Commissioner Munish Moudgil (1998-batch officer and husband of IPS Officer D Roopa) has been transferred back as the Commissioner, Survey, Settlement and Land Records from the position of Commissioner of Excise.
Incidentally, as the Excise Commissioner, Moudgil had drawn the ire of CM Kumaraswamy for reportedly not reinstating Excise Inspectors back into the Department after they were transferred out during the Model Code of Conduct. He had also reportedly asked Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha to suspend him if he failed to assign the transferred officials.
“Most of the requests for transfer came from the Excise Department. I agreed to transfer them back to their previous departments. Twice, I've got complaints that the transfer order wasn't implemented. Honesty isn't enough, senior bureaucrats must also have some humanity. My advice to them please be more humane. If you're honest and yet you act negatively then we may have to transfer you to a department which has lesser significance,” Kumaraswamy had told reporters in that regard.
BBMP Special Commissioner (Projects) BM Vijaya Shankar has been transferred as the Bengaluru Urban Deputy Commissioner replacing KA Dayananda. Additionally, Nitesh Patil who was serving as BBMP South Zone Joint Commissioner has been transferred as Additional Commissioner (Enforcement) Commercial Taxes Department, while BBMP Additional Commissioner (Admin) Nalini Atul has been made the Joint Managing Director of Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation.
Kapil Mohan who was posted as Principal Secretary in Housing Department has been transferred to Director General at the Administrative Training Institute in Mysuru.
TK Anil Kumar who was the Principal Secretary in the Housing Department has been made the new Housing Department Secretary.