FC Finance, Dr Arun Mehta, goes on ‘long leave’. CS position bone of contention?

28 January 2021

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Srinagar, Jan 28: With Jammu & Kashmir’s Financial Commissioner (Finance), Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, suddenly proceeding on ‘long leave’ amid the last-minute preparations for the upcoming Budget for J&K, eyebrows are being raised over a perceived tussle over the position of Chief Secretary in the former state.

Highly placed sources in the J&K administration told Ziraat Times that while not much is being said in certain words about the stated reason of the “long leave” decision of the Financial Commissioner (Finance), there are murmurs within the administration about a developing tussle over the question who would take up the position of Chief Secretary of J&K once a change of guard materializes.

When contacted by Ziraat Times for his comment on the reasons of his sudden decision, Dr Arun Mehta declined to provide any comment.

J&K’s Chief Secretary, B V R Subramanyam, is reportedly being considered for a senior-level position at the central government. He was already a contender for Home Secretary position at the central government. However, this has not been independently verified so far.

Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, who is a J&K Cadre IAS Officer of 1988-batch, was recently empaneled for a central government position as a Secretary in the Governmnet of India. Mr Mehta, who was earlier serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change, assumed his J&K mission in December 2018.

Sources said that Financial Commissioner (Finance), Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, feels that he was not being given due weightage for his seniority in the normal conduct of business in the J&K administration. He is also believed to be upset for the reason that certain senior secretaries were not attending crucial meeting falling within the domain of the Finance Department, including those that relate to financial planning of other key departments.

“His sudden departure at a time when final touches are being given to J&K’s Budget 2021-22 cannot be normal. It shows something has deeply upset Mr Mehta to take such a decision at this stage”, a senior official in the administration said.

However, there are other voices in the administration who believe that Mr Mehta’s reason for long leave has nothing to do with the Chief Secretary’s position.

“Firstly, the current Chief Secretary, B V R Subramanyam, is not going anywhere. Although he had been considered for the position of the Home Secretary at the central government, there is a strong feeling at the top in J&K that he needs more time to complete his mission. Secondly, Mr Mehta is not a contender for the top post. The reasons for his long leave are different”, said another senior official.

In September 2015, in a similar power tussle, the then Chief Secretary of J&K, Iqbal Khanday, who had three months of service still left, had, in a sudden move, written a letter to the then chief minister, Mufti Muhammad Syed, and asked to be relieved with immediate effect. He was due to retire in November 2015.

Mr Khandey had then expressed his anguish that as Chief Secretary he was not being consulted on major administrative decisions, including transfer and posting of officers, and had expressed his reservations even verbally during a cabinet meeting.

B. R. Sharma, an 84-batch IAS officer, who took over the the Chief Secretary of J&K then, was considered to be junior to almost four IAS officers of J&K state then, creating a tense situation within the administration then.

When B. R Sharma was succeeded by B B Vyas, a 1986-batch IAS officer, as the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir today, the decision had again ruffled quite a few feathers given the presence of other senior officers in the administration then, who were perceived to have been bypassed in the process.