SHILLONG, July 6: Meghalaya Government’s ways are truly strange. In the frenetic effort to shuffle and reshuffle of bureaucrats, seniority of officers seems to be becoming a casualty because political exigencies are dictating terms.
Among some of the unheard of absurdities that have surfaced include the glaring case of a fairly junior officer from the Indian Forest Service (Conservator rank), Dr Manjunatha C. who has been concurrently the Secretary Power, Mining & Geology, AH & Veterinary and Forest & Environment Departments. In the Power Department he is Secretary without any superior to report to. So technically, Additional Chief Secretary Rebecca Suchiang who is currently CMD of MeECL, will be reporting to her junior Dr Manjunatha C. which is absurd to say the least.
Earlier the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). was also holding the post of Principal Secretary Forests.
Moreover, by having the same person looking after Forests and Mining and Geology is a conflict of interests because often they work at cross purposes.
When their attention was drawn, some senior bureaucrats on condition of anonymity expressed their unease over the intrigues adding that at least in the Forest and Environment and Mining departments there are senior officers that he has to report to but the bizarre arrangement for the Power department is simply untenable.
Interestingly, Manjunatha will in effect be senior to the PCCF & Head of Forest Forces (HoFF) who is of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary with pay scale that is equal to or a little below that of the Chief Secretary.
These out of turn appointments are not only unprecedented but also a threat to a healthy bureaucratic edifice.
One exasperated officer asked if the Forest Department has excess officers does it mean that some of them have to be hived off for administrative services?
If the state government needs to borrow officers from the Forest Department it could have benefitted from more senior level officers of the rank of Chief Conservator of Forests and above, said another officer.
