Chandigarh, July 11
The Haryana Government today replaced its Chief Secretary (CS), Mr L.M. Goyal, while he is abroad. He is scheduled to return tomorrow. The government also reshuffled 10 other IAS officers and three HCS officers.
Mr A.N. Mathur, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Finance, Excise and Taxation, Revenue and Consolidation, is the new CS.
The first indication of the Chief Minister’s annoyance had come when he had given additional charge of the CS post to Mr Mathur during Mr Goyal’s absence from the state for 10 days. Eyebrows were raised then because normally the charge of a senior post is not given to another officer for such a short period.
This was taken as an indication that Mr Goyal is on his way out. But nobody expected that Mr Goyal would be given the boot even before his return from an official-cum-private foreign tour.
According to informed sources, the acting C.S., Mr Mathur, and the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr M.G. Miglani, had a long meeting yesterday. They presumably discussed today’s reshuffle.
Haryana has a tradition to send its DGPs packing unceremoniously. But it is for the first time that a Chief Secretary has been replaced by a government which appointed him. In the past the Chief Secretaries have survived the change of governments. Mr S.D. Bhambri and Mr M.C. Gupta are two examples in this context.
Mr Mathur is taking over the reins of the administrative set-up at a juncture when he will be expected to make it dynamic and responsive enough to make the Chief Minister’s grand plans of attracting foreign direct investment a success. If several MoUs signed during the Chief Minister’s foreign visit, particularly those in the fields of entertainment and recreation (euphemism for casinos) are to materialise, the bureaucracy would have to come out of its shell and show a fresh approach.
It will not be a mean challenge to Mr Mathur, who have a two-year-long innings to make an impact.
