Babus take VRS route to new jobs

Prafulla Marpakwar / TNN / Aug 20, 2006, 03:44 IST

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Two high-profile babus have asked for five years leave to take up assignments in the private sector.

MUMBAI: A month after bureaucrats A Ramkrishnan, Rajeev Sinha and Sudha Bhave sought voluntary retirement, two high-profile babus-cooperation secretary Jayant Kawle and Pune divisional commissioner Prabhakar Karan dikar - have asked for five years leave to take up assignments in the private sector.
Kawle, an IAS officer of the 1981 batch, has sought permission to join the Mahindra Infrastructure Development Corporation, while Karandikar, from the 1973 batch, has plans to join Mahindra's SEZ project as
an advisor.
Earlier, one senior IAS officer Sonia Sethi proceeded on leave to take up an assignment with an NGO-public private partnership initiative, while another, former Mumbai collector Mahesh Pathak, joined the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd as officer on special duty, for a period of three years.

Under the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) rules, an IAS officer can be deputed to an international organisation, an autonomous body not controlled by the government or a private body.
But now eyebrows are being raised over Kawle's and Karandikar's proposals on the ground that they would result in a conflict of interest.
A senior IAS officer of the rank of additional chief secretary pointed out that Kawle, who has been working for the industries department in one or the other capacity for years, is now planning to join a leading industrial house.

Karandikar's case was similar, he added. For the last three years, he has been Pune divisional commissioner and now he was planning to join the SEZ promoted by the same group in the same area where he was posted, the officer added.
"The government should reject their applications. If at all they are keen to take up a private assignment, they should join one which has no links with their present or previous assignments," he said.
A former chief secretary said it was high time the government came out with a comprehensive policy which would protect its interests while simultaneously allowing babus to proceed on leave.

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