Babu with political acumen, Vyas is new Chief Secretary

ZAFAR CHOUDHARY

JAMMU: In an expected development, seasoned bureaucrat Bharat Bhushan Vyas has been appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir replacing incumbent BR Sharma midway who has been appointed as Advisor (Administrative Affairs) to the Chief Minister.
Vyas, who is due to retire on superannuation later this year, is expected to get an extension in service to have a two-year fixed term as Chief Secretary. "Before appointment of Vyas as Chief Secretary there was a proper consultation between state government and the Centre on extension in his service", said an official source.
Currently holding designation of Financial Commissioner, the 1986 batch IAS officer was the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister and also holding administrative charge of Secretary of Planning and Development Department, Disaster Management, Relief Rehabilitation & Reconstruction, Information, Hospitality & Protocol and Civil Aviation and Estates Departments.
Bharat Vyas's appointment as Chief Secretary comes at crucial stage when the state is caught in a quagmire of instability and vortex of violence. Vyas holds wide ranging experience of handling challenging situations with political acumen. Having served as Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar at the peak of militancy in 1990s, he has held crucial assignments over last decade and half. Vyas has served as Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Principal Secretary to Governor, and administrative secretary of Finance and Planning, among other positions.
Since the restoration of democratically elected government in 1996, Vyas has enjoyed trust of all Chief Ministers. He has remained Principal Secretary to three Chief Ministers -Omar Abdullah, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti -two of them brought him in crisis situations. Omar Abdullah had picked Vyas as his Principal Secretary. Vyas emerged as such frontline manager of Omar administration that in political circles it was widely expected he may be sidelined in a future administration. However, Omar successor Mufti Mohammad Sayeed surprised everyone by allowing Vyas to continue as Principal Secretary in Chief Minister's office, a post he held till the death of Mufti.
Mufti's successor Mehbooba had preferred Naveen Choudhary as the gatekeeper, a term often used for the key bureaucratic aide, but he was replaced by Vyas in a few months. It was widely speculated since December last year that Vyas could replace BR Sharma as Chief Secretary midway.
In today's administrative reshuffle no officer was appointed as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister though it is widely speculated that Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary Works Department, could be brought in for the job in a few weeks. Till such an appointment, the newly appointed Special Secretary in CM Office, Mohammad Hussain Malik, will discharge the duties of Principal Secretary. Malik has remained Special Secretary in the office of then Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and with Mehbooba Mufti also for a brief while.
Meanwhile, the has accorded sanction to the appointment of outgoing Chief Secretary, B R Sharma, as Advisor (Administrative Affairs) to the Chief Minister. Sources said that Sharma will hold this position for a few months toll his empanelment as Secretary in Government of India and then proceed to Centre.