GUWAHATI, Jan 30 - Voluntary organisation Assam Public Works (APW) has alleged that some IAS officers are now holding the reins of the State government going against the tenets of democratic polity. In doing so, they have resorted to tricks to delude the elected representatives of the people.
The present regime in the State seems to have been following in the footsteps of the previous Congress regime, led by Tarun Gogoi between 2001 and 2016, in this respect, the voluntary organisation alleged.
In a statement here, APW president Abhijit Sarma said such officers are getting their terms extended even after their retirement, for some reasons not known to the people.
Citing the example of Chief Secretary VK Pipersenia, who has already attained his superannuation age, it said that this bureaucrat has been retained in his post for some unknown reasons. Now, it is learnt that he is designated to run the show again in a new avatar in the shape of advisor to the Chief Minister. It seems that the State government cannot afford to function without this bureaucrat.
But Pipersenia was the Agricultural Production Commissioner when the Rs 700-crore scam rocked the agriculture department of the State. The CID, which was investigating the scam, however, failed to summon him for interrogation. The letter issued by the office of the Prime Minister to inquire into the case thoroughly and to question even Pipersenia, was kept concealed by some circles in the government. This tells of the hold Pipersenia had in the State administration even before his becoming the Chief Secretary, Sarma said.
Some other IAS officers are also controlling some of the State�s ministers and have thus been able to derive a range of benefits by using such relations.
Meanwhile, a plan is afoot to transfer a senior forest officer from Karbi Anglong to Guwahati to fill up a key position in the forest department. The Forest Minister of the State herself has been looking into the matter of transfer of this particular officer to Guwahati, without bothering to take into consideration the irregularities he committed in Karbi Anglong, said Sarma.
