Anil Baijal new Home Secy

NEW DELHI: Anil Baijal, vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), will take over as Union home secretary next month.
A 1969 IAS (UT cadre) batch officer, Baijal will succeed N Gopalaswami who has been transferred as a member of the Election Commission. The transfer was expected as the vice-chairman had been promoted to the rank of secretary.Baijal has held prime posts in Delhi including chairman and managing director of Indian Airlines and CEO of Prasar Bharati.
He took over as the vice-chairman of DDA in August when civic body was at the peak of the land scam. He replaced then vice-chairman Subhash Sharma who was arrested for his alleged role in the scam.
Baijal was brought in by deputy prime minister L K Advani to start a clean-up operation and give DDA a more people-friendly and transparent image.
Even this time, Baijal''s past record and the fact that he still has over two years of service left have worked in his favour. He has reportedly been hand-picked by Advani for the coveted post.
In DDA, Baijal initiated a number of revolutionary steps that reduced red tapism and made it easier for the common man to get information. Shelved projects that had been in the pipeline for years were brought out and cleared. Land worth crores was disposed off during his tenure. This also included the Vasant Kunj mall project, which made DDA richer by Rs 900 crore, a record collection from an auction in Delhi.
Policy changes for land disposal were initiated and cleared. This brought in much-needed revenue in Baijal''s tenure. Policy of giving hospitals and clubs land on concessional rates was changed and the civic body has now started auctioning land.
Baijal is likely to be succeeded by director of Enforcement Directorate R N Das, a Gujarat cadre officer.