No extension for Gaikwad, state to get new chief secy

MUMBAI: Even a day before the retirement of chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad, an IAS officer of the 1975 batch, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan did not decide on his successor.
There were reports that Gaikwad may be given a six-month extension, however on Wednesday, it was made clear that there is no such proposal before the government. Gaikwad is a first high-ranking bureaucrat or an IPS officer who has not been granted an extension.In the recent past, former municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar, former DGP Ajit Parasnis and former chief secretaries Prem Kumar and Johny Joseph were granted extensions for a period ranging between three and six months.
"Chavan is examining all bureaucrats in the zone of consideration. Since it is a coalition government, he will also have to consult the NCP before taking a final decision on the new chief secretary. By and large, there is an agreement that the new chief secretary should have a minimum tenure of one year," a senior bureaucrat told TOI on Wednesday.
As per the seniority list of IAS officers, Gaikwad is followed by state pollution control board chairman J S Sahani, general administration department additional chief secretary Anna Dani, public health secretary J K Banthia, state election commission secretary Chand Goel, school education secretary J S Saharia and MMRDA commissioner Rahul Asthana. Sahani, Dani and Goel will be retiring in this year, Banthia and Asthana will retire in 2013, while Saharia will retire in June 2014.
Of course, a section of senior bureaucrats feel that Chavan will spring a surprise by appointing a dark horse as the head of the state bureaucracy. They pointed out that when Sitaram Kunte was appointed the BMC commissioner, it was a surprise choice since he was not even in the zone of consideration. At the time of Kunte's appointment, the CM had taken a view that the BMC commissioner should have a tenure of at least two to three years so that he can plan and execute projects.
"However, in case of the chief secretary, Chavan has a limited choice. He cannot choose someone who will supersede six to seven other senior bureaucrats. In that event, the CM will have to bear the brunt of the bureaucrats who will be ignored," he said.