There has been a major reshuffle in the top-level bureaucracy of the state with Chief Secretary (CS) Satya Gopal and Directorate General of Police (DGP) SBK Singh being transferred out of the state.
Now, Naresh Kumar will be the new CS of Arunachal Pradesh, while Rajendar Pal Upadhyaya will hold the charge of DGP.
This comes in the midst of reports that the outgoing CS and DGP had major differences over various issues and did not see eye-to-eye. In fact, in the past two year, the state suffered much due to the infighting among the bureaucrats.
For the development of the state, proper coordination among bureaucrats is a must.
As the head of bureaucrats, the CS should have the capacity to take everyone along. There were major complaints against the outgoing CS. It was alleged that a coterie of officials close to him ‘ran the show’, thereby sidelining majority of the officers. Many felt neglected, especially the local tribal officials, and murmurs of discontentment brewed within the walls of the civil secretariat. This directly affected governance of the state.
Further, the rift between the CS and the DGP complicated the situation.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu seems to have taken note of the situation and took the decisive step of removing both the CS and the DGP. Hopefully, the newly appointed CS and DGP will develop better coordination.
Also, the IAS officers, especially those coming from mainland India should understand that unless they develop trust and work together with the local tribal officers, they will not be able to effectively work for the betterment of the state.