’89-batch Dharmendra Delhi’s new chief secy

New Delhi: Senior IAS officer Dharmendra was appointed as Delhi govt's new chief secretary by Centre on Saturday. The tenure of Naresh Kumar, a 1987-batch officer who was given two extensions in the past, ended on Aug 31.Dharmendra, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre, was Arunachal Pradesh's chief secretary before being transferred to Delhi. He is among the senior-most AGMUT cadre officers and is taking charge as the Delhi chief secretary ahead of the assembly polls due in Feb.A civil engineer who later entered bureaucracy, Dharmendra, during his previous stint in Delhi govt, held various posts, including secretary in the revenue; irrigation and flood control; and industries departments. He was chairman of New Delhi Municipal Council before being transferred to Arunachal Pradesh in April 2022. He also served in the housing and urban affairs and the consumer affairs ministries. Dharmendra has worked for both Delhi govt and Centre. In Delhi govt, he worked in important departments like revenue, urban development and Delhi Municipal Corporation. Dharmendra had taken over as divisional commissioner and secretary in the revenue department in Delhi govt."With the approval of the competent authority, Dharmendra, IAS (AGMUT 1989), is hereby transferred from Arunachal Pradesh to Delhi and posted as chief secretary, GNCTD, with effect from Sept 1 or with effect from the date of joining, whichever is later," according to the Union ministry of home affairs order issued on Saturday.Dharmendra's appointment came on the day his predecessor's three-month extended tenure came to an end. There was speculation over a further extension in view of the polls. Naresh Kumar retired in Nov last year. Kumar was first given an extension of six months and received another in May for three months when the model code of conduct was in place due to the general elections.As chief secretary, Kumar was at loggerheads with the AAP dispensation over a host of issues, with the party fiercely attacking him and levelling allegations of corruption against him. Senior officials in Delhi govt said Dharmendra would require fine balancing skills, being the crucial link between the warring AAP dispensation and the LG's office.AAP govt last year filed a plea in the apex court against any move by Centre to appoint a new official or to extend Kumar's tenure without consulting it. The court upheld the Centre's decision to extend Kumar's tenure by six months, observing it cannot be said to be violating the law.