Pradeep sharma
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 19
Following in the footsteps of neighboring Punjab, Haryana on Monday appointed retired bureaucrat DS Dhesi as Senior Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister of Haryana, a development that will change the equations of power within the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
Dhesi, who served as chief secretary of state for more than four years and retired on June 30, 2019, resigned yesterday as chairman of the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to take on the new assignment.
Although the terms of Dhesi’s appointment have not yet been made public, it is expected that like his Punjab counterpart Suresh Kumar, Dhesi will be the “super boss” at the CMO with all files destined for CM Manohar Lal Khattar via he.
In March 2017, Punjab’s Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh had appointed retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar as his chief of public service, despite the state having a regular incumbent Chief Minister (PSCM ), a cadre position held by an IAS officer. Suresh Kumar is considered to be the power center of the Punjab CMO.
However, in Haryana, the head of the PSCM, Rajesh Khullar, is dating after his appointment as Executive Director of the World Bank in Washington. It would be interesting to see who succeeds Khullar and his role and powers after Dhesi’s appointment as Head of the PS.
Although Dhesi joined today, a petition against the appointment of Suresh Kumar is still pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
