The Hindu : Front Page : Shambhu Nath new U.P. Chief Secretary

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 17, 2007
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Shambhu Nath new U.P. Chief Secretary

Atiq Khan

LUCKNOW: Shambhu Nath assumed office as the new Chief Secretary of the election-bound Uttar Pradesh on Friday. He said his first priority would be to ensure law and order and curb anti-social elements. He said he would see that the Assembly elections were held in a free and fair manner. Earlier in the day, the Election Commission removed Naveen Chandra Bajpai as Chief Secretary following complaints from Opposition parties that he was acting as a "loyal worker" of the ruling Samajwadi Party.

Handpicked

Like the other officials transferred on March 14, Mr. Bajpai was also handpicked by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh.

He superseded over a dozen bureaucrats of the 1972, 1971 and 1970 batches, Mr. Nath being one of them.

Among the complaints against Mr. Bajpai was his presence on the dais at a function held in the SP office to mark the three years of the Mulayam Singh Government on August 29, 2006.

A 1970 batch IAS officer, Mr. Nath is due to retire on March 31. There is no mention of his tenure in the appointment letter.

Tenure to be fixed

When contacted, Umesh Sinha, Secretary, Appointment, said the EC would fix Mr. Nath's term of office later. Mr. Nath, who earlier served as Principal Secretary to the Governor, told newspersons that he was not unduly perturbed at the question of his tenure.

Mr. Sinha added that the EC Election Commission was aware of his retirement date. that he is due to retire on March 31, 2007.

Mr. Nath, who had earlier served as the Principal Secretary to the Governor, told newspersons after taking charge that since the Uttar Pradesh election process had begun, one of his priority areas was to create an atmosphere conducive for polls.

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