BANGALORE: Chief minister Siddaramaiah apparently wants the right officers at the right places.
Trying to bring in changes and reforms in administration, the CM is preparing to anoint a fresh set of officers to key positions. His immediate targets are the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and Bangalore Urban district administration. The chief minister wants to appoint direct and young IAS officers as BDA commissioner and Bangalore Urban deputy commissioner (DC).
The CM who is all set to revamp the bureaucracy once the legislature session is completed, is likely to bring V Ponnuraj as Bangalore Urban DC. Ponnuraj, who is posted as commissioner of survey, settlement and land records now, had served as DC in Shimoga when B S Yeddyurappa was the chief minister.
During discussion with his close officers recently, Siddaramaiah is said to have expressed that his priority in Bangalore Urban district was to recover the government land encroached by land sharks. Similarly, he wants to see at least one housing project to be given to the public from the BDA, besides implementing outer peripheral road connecting two IT corridors – Electronic City and ITPL.
For many years, Bangalore Urban district and BDA were headed by confirmed/promotee IAS officers, who according to sources in the CM’s office, did not effectively implement the targets and missions of the government.
Siddaramaiah posted Harsha Gupta as commissioner of food and civil supplies department after giving him specific instruction that Re 1 rice scheme should be implemented without any hassle.
