Hyderabad: Telangana’s former chief secretary Somesh Kumar has managed to construct up suspense over his posting.
After the Centre directed him to report back to the Andhra Pradesh authorities following a court docket order, he met Andhra chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Thursday – however hasn’t joined responsibility but.
Kumar’s obvious reluctance to maneuver to Andhra Pradesh, the cadre he was allotted to after the state’s bifurcation in 2014, stems from his proximity to Telangana CM Okay Chandrashekar Rao, stated bureaucrats.
“Somesh Kumar is a taskmaster, a delivery-oriented officer. When a selected job is assigned to him, he makes positive he will get it executed, regardless of how robust it’d develop into for him. Such a chief secretary is a blessing for any chief minister,” a former bureaucrat who as soon as labored with Kumar, advised ThePrint.
Kumar, a 1989-batch All-India Companies Officer, was appointed because the chief secretary of Telangana in the direction of the top of 2019. He was appointed to the highest submit superseding a number of senior officers within the state.
Allotted to the Andhra Pradesh cadre on the time of the state’s bifurcation, Kumar shifted to Telangana after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) allowed his plea for a posting within the state.
However in 2017, the Centre’s Division of Personnel and Coaching (DoPT) filed a petition within the Telangana Excessive Courtroom in opposition to the CAT order sending Kumar to Telangana.
In a setback for Kumar final week, on 10 January, the Telangana Excessive Courtroom quashed the order of the CAT allotting Kumar to the Telangana cadre. The DoPT the identical day handed orders relieving Kumar from the state, and requested him to hitch in Andhra Pradesh inside 48 hours.
Kumar, whose tenure ends in December this 12 months, met Andhra CM Reddy Thursday. “No submit is large or small, no matter submit I get I’ll take it up,” he advised the media, after reporting to the state.
When requested if he would be a part of as an adviser to the Telangana authorities (if he takes voluntary retirement), he responded by saying that “no choice has been taken but, no matter comes within the stride, we’re going to take it”.
On Wednesday, the Telangana authorities appointed A. Santhi Kumari as the brand new chief secretary, the primary girl to take up the submit for the reason that state was fashioned.
Additionally learn: Telangana’s new chief secretary Santhi Kumari: ‘Low-profile’, as soon as shunted for ‘mishandling’ Covid
Elevating eyebrows
One of many greatest controversies of Somesh Kumar’s profession pertains to allegations of deletion of names of lakhs of voters from the Larger Hyderabad Municipal Company (GHMC) rolls when he was serving as its commissioner in 2014.
Whereas the commissioner, Kumar was implementing the Election Fee’s (EC) Nationwide Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme linking Aadhaar with Voter IDs. The allegations of voter names being deleted stem from the time this venture was taken up.
Telangana opposition events alleged in January 2020, quickly after Kumar’s appointment as state chief secretary, that the submit was a quid professional quo for “serving to” the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (then known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi led by CM Rao) win the GHMC polls of February 2016.
In November 2015, within the wake of complaints accusing Kumar of eradicating the names of voters from the Seemandhra area (primarily comprising these hailing from Andhra), he was shunted out of the GHMC and moved to the tribal welfare division. The EC had sought motion in opposition to him after 7 lakh voters’ names have been allegedly faraway from the rolls.
Months after the BRS got here to energy within the first elections in Telangana in 2014, Kumar additionally performed a key position within the execution of chief minister KCR’s ‘intensive family survey’ throughout the state. The survey, nonetheless, drew flak from the opposition, which stated that Rao had deliberate it to determine individuals in Seemandhra.
There have been additionally apprehensions among the many individuals of the state about why the survey was being carried out and why they need to give away private data.
“This was an train in knowledge assortment. And Somesh Kumar, as GHMC commissioner, positively performed a key position in executing this survey in Hyderabad and its limits. The proximity between KCR and Somesh grew at the moment,” an officer who beforehand served within the GHMC stated.
Whereas commissioner, Kumar was additionally appointed as ‘particular officer’ of the GHMC in 2014, which gave him government management and powers to take all types of selections till the GHMC polls.
“Within the technique of getting duties executed, he (Somesh Kumar) may be very robust with individuals working below him. In the end, he makes positive the work given to him is finished,” one other bureaucrat, who wished to be unnamed, stated.
Impressing KCR
Previous to 2014, Kumar had served within the departments of tribal welfare (first stint) and collegiate schooling, and in addition as collector of Anantapur district. He maintained a low profile and his affiliation with KCR began in 2014, stated bureaucrats.
Like many different officers, Kumar didn’t want to shift out of Hyderabad submit the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Presently, there are a minimum of six All-India Service Officers in Telangana who belong to Andhra Pradesh cadre however are serving in Telangana, together with the newly-appointed Director Basic of Police Anjani Kumar.
“When KCR took over as chief minister in 2014, he needed the prevailing bureaucrats to proceed of their roles, particularly these officers who had years of service pending. The rationale was that Telangana was a brand new state and he needed to supply some stability to the federal government officers who could be round for a number of years till the brand new state took form,” a senior bureaucrat stated.
“And naturally, together with Kumar, a number of different officers didn’t need to depart Hyderabad and relocate to Andhra. There have been additionally apprehensions about working below then Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu,” he added.
One in every of Kumar’s key postings was as principal secretary for income, business taxes and excise in 2018.
Based on sources, Kumar managed to impress KCR whereas taking care of the excise division. He initiated insurance policies that boosted the state’s income by an enormous margin.
In 2017, when Kumar was the principal secretary, the Telangana authorities began an annual payment – retail store excise tax – for liquor retailers in sure areas, amongst different strikes that proved profitable for the KCR authorities.
Below Kumar’s watch in 2017-2018, Telangana’s excise income elevated 40 per cent in comparison with the earlier 12 months.
“By doing all of this, Kumar managed to get into the great books of the chief minister – he acquired seen by KCR,” an officer stated.
Kumar was purported to function Telangana chief secretary for 4 years till the top of 2023 and the choice to carry him for such an extended tenure was meant to make sure stability within the state administration.
Kumar’s reinstatement to Andhra Pradesh has come at a time when Telangana is getting ready for the meeting polls, due this 12 months, and amid rising tensions between KCR’s BRS and the BJP.
Following Kumar’s switch to Andhra, Telangana BJP chief Marri Shashidhar Reddy stated “democracy could be the most important gainer with this”.
Reddy was amongst those that had complained to the EC in opposition to Kumar over the deletion of voter names. He had claimed that “Kumar acquired away calmly at the moment, below the patronage of CM KCR”.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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