Stalin aims at clean administration with IAS officers’ shuffle

“The CM through this move is trying to attempt a clean administration that will be free from political interventions. Postings of non-controversial senior officers in key departments is seen as a strategy to ensure transparency and avoid political interventions in the government administration, but we have to wait and watch on what the DMK functionaries are up to,” a senior government official said. 

According to Secretariat sources, the DMK government has changed almost all the District Collectors who were influential. The aged IAS officers have been replaced with young IAS officers who lack political contacts unlike their predecessors. At the same time, the government has brought back B Jothi Nirmalasamy as the secretary of Commercial Tax Department. Nirmalasamy had issues with former minister KC Veeramani and was chucked out by the AIADMK ahead of polls, only to be brought back by the DMK. 

“Even during his (Stalin’s) previous term as local administration minister and deputy chief minister he went in for a non-controversial IAS officer like Dheena Bandu. His choice of officers is of two categories – they should be transparent and efficient and should have not earned the wrath of DMK first family,” said a retired IAS officer. Shuffling of officers had always been there during regime change, but there are no visible punishment postings of those who were close to former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, the retired bureaucrat noted. “Stalin in my views is attempting for a ten-year term through schemes and governance and his choice of officers are good,” observed political commentator Raveendran Duraisamy. 

“This is a good beginning to start with where young officers are given more responsibility. It is the officers who execute the schemes planned by legislators,” said retired IAS officer MG Devasagayam. Among the IAS officers there are self-starters, kick starters and no starters. Those administering the state should identify and analyse the skill sets of the IAS officers before posting them. 

Orientation and training is lacking among the current lot. For instance, Gagandeep Singh Bedi is a self-starter more such self-starters are required for the state, Devasagayam added.