State Govt mulls 6-month extension to Chief Secretary

SHILLONG: The move of the State Government to give six months’ extension to the services of Chief Secretary WMS Pariat to conduct the upcoming district council and Lok Sabha polls is likely to evoke criticism, as in the past such moves had come under flak from various quarters.
Pariat is slated to retire on December 31.
Previous attempts by the Government to give extension to former chief secretaries have always met with stiff opposition.
The Government is contemplating the extension for Pariat, with the argument that the Chief Secretary can handle the upcoming elections.
It may be noted that during the last Assembly elections in the State in February, the Chief Secretary had gone on leave since his relative Lamboklang Mylliem was contesting the polls. Additional Chief Secretary Barkos Warjri had officiated in his absence.
When contacted, an official source said on Monday that it is the Personnel department which finally approves the extension.
There are two officers, Additional Chief Secretaries Barkos Warjri and his junior BK Dev Verma, who are strong contenders to succeed Pariat.