MUMBAI: With the ongoing trend in India, most of the bureaucrats, irrespective of their aptness for the posts, have secured a plum post right after retirement. The latest among the 20-and-odd retired bureaucrats is G S Saharia, an IAS officer of the 1978 batch who is appointed as the Maharashtra state election commissioner, reports Prafulla Marpakwar of The Times of India.
Initially, when Saharia name was nominated, it was objected by new governor C Vidyasagar Rao stating that he must be first approved by the cabinet before submitting it to him. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan placed the proposal before the cabinet and it was unanimously granted.
One of the senior cabinet member exclaimed that most of the commissions appeared to have been set up for the rehabilitation of retired or retiring bureaucrats. "As they were close to the chief ministers, they were rehabilitated, whether they have the knowledge for the matter or not," he said.
Out of the 20 bureaucrats appointed as panels heads recently, just three had been able to bring about significant changes in their commissions or committees. The said three officials are Ratnakar Gaikwad, Chief Information Commissioner, Sudhir Thakre, Former Public Service Commissioner and Former Election Commissioner Nand Lal.
"Their successors must study the changes they brought about and take them forward. Gaikwad's rate of disposing cases is the highest in the country, Thakre brought about transparency in the public service commission, while Nand Lal was considered on a par with then chief election commissioner T N Seshan," he added.
Also, Former Chief Secretary voiced out that it was high time to reconsider the appointments of retired bureaucrats to key posts. "Instead of appointing specialists or experts, successive CMs are appointing retired IAS officers, though several commissions and committees need the leadership of specialists and it's not the job of IAS officers," he said.
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