Karimnagar collector made new excise chief

Hyderabad: Karimnagar district collector Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was caught in an audio clip row with BC welfare and civil supplies minister Gangula Kamalakar, was transferred by the government on Monday along with four other

IAS officers

.

Ahmed has been made the new excise commissioner. Senior IAS officer Somesh Kumar was holding the additional charge. K Shashanka, who was the collector of Jogulamba Gadwal district, will now take charge of Karimnagar.

Shashanka’s place will be occupied by Sweta Mohanty, which will be an additional charge as she is also collector of Wanaparthy district.

Among other transfers effected by the government was posting MCR HRD Institute of Telangana additional director B Venkateswarlu as commissioner of disaster management. A Ashok, who was secretary of Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education and transferred in September, has been made additional director of MCR HRD institute.

Political circles are abuzz with rumours that Sarfaraz was eased out ahead of municipal elections in Karimnagar, which is a stronghold of TRS.

The purported audio clip in which Sarfaraz was allegedly heard promising BJP MP Bandi Sanjay that Kamalakar would be disqualified in 2018 assembly polls for excess expenditure had gone viral in November this year. The clip was allegedly recorded in 2018 when Sanjay and Kamalakar were contesting the assembly elections for BJP and TRS respectively. Sanjay was defeated by Kamalakar in the polls and a few months later, he was elected as Karimnagar MP by defeating B Vinod Kumar of TRS. Sarfaraz later clarified that the audio clip was a “cut and paste job made with mala fide intent” and even offered an explanation to chief secretary SK Joshi.

Sarfaraz also had a run-in with TRS MLA Rasamahi Balakishan in March. The MLA shouted at Sarfraz for not carrying his photo on banner during an official event and accused the collector of violating protocol.