May 12, 2021: The MVA administration on May 7, 2021, appointed IAS officer V K Gautam, who retired on April 30 as additional CS in charge of irrigation, as an officer on special duty to look after the same subject in view of his 'able leadership' in handling irrigation projects.
The official resolution on his appointment stresses that “In a very short time, Gautam showed able leadership of a large department and resolved many issues. The department will benefit from his experience and ability in implementing major projects.” It also pointed out that as many as 278 projects, with a budget of ₹ one lakh crore, were under implementation and hence Gautam's proven ability may have great value in projects' execution.
It is said though the state government was keen on putting Gautam on a three-year contract as irrigation secretary, it dropped the idea when its attention was drawn to the fact that the post of secretary was a cadre post and hence it couldn't be made contractual to accommodate a retired IAS officer.
Gautam's appointment is seen to have ruffled feathers. Many officers are said to have expressed their anguish against the retention of retired officers on a contractual basis.
In the case of Gautam, they have an additional point against him. They believe that, since the central DoPT ordered an inquiry against Gautam the day he retired for violations of certain rules as a member of the Commonwealth Games organizing committee decades ago, the state government should have avoided retaining Gautam.
Such points are obviously not sustainable legally.
However, retention and appointment of retired IAS officers are universally seen as bad in principle because of its deleterious impact on governance. Nevertheless, it's becoming a practice in all states following the NaMo model of governance which is hinged on retired officials.
Maharashtra is no exception. After retiring as chief secretary, Ajoy Mehta has been hired as the principal advisor to the CMO. Radheshyam Mopalwar, who retired in 2018, heads the MSRDC that oversees major road projects in the state. R A Rajeev continues to head MMRDA despite retiring in February. He was hired on a 3- month contract, though the post is a cadre post. An extension of his contract for the job may require approval of the central government
According to the IAS Cadre Rules 1954, a non-cadre officer can only be appointed to such posts if there is “no suitable cadre officer available for filling the vacancy.”
According to a senior retired IAS officer Subodh Kumar, “This is a wrong trend. Retired officers have no accountability and this undermines the authority of the IAS officer posted in the department.”
