NT NETWORK

PANAJI: Even as the government issued an order to relieve the Chief Secretary, Mr Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava from the state administration with effect from Monday (August 13), the focus has now shifted on who among the three senior IAS officials whose names have been forwarded by the Union Home Ministry would be chosen to replace the outgoing Chief Secretary.

According to highly placed sources in the state administration, the union Home Minister has forwarded the names of Mr Deepak Sopolia, Mr G S Patnaik (both presently working for New Delhi administration) and Ms L T Tochawng (working for Mizoram administration at the moment) to the state government for its consideration.

Mr Sopolia and Ms Tochawng are the 1979 batch officers of the Indian Administrative Service, while Mr Patnaik is a 1980 batch officer of the same service. The state government can select one of them or call for another batch of senior IAS officials. The call on appointing new Chief Secretary is likely to be taken soon by the state government, said the sources.

Mr Shrivastava, who joined state administration in February 2009, would be leaving the state after nearly three and half year stint. He has been appointed as vice-chairman of Delhi Development Authority. He would temporarily be replaced by Mr B Vijayan, Principal Secretary, till the new Chief Secretary is appointed.

The outgoing Chief Secretary told The Navhind Times that he has had a fruitful tenure in the state. "My tenure in Goa has been memorable," he said adding that he was sorry that he did not succeed in construction of convention centre and oceanarium for which he worked hard.

Describing people of the state as agile, especially to the issues related to environment, he said that Goa was a cultured place which had unique people. "I could do some things for the state but not everything," he said further.