Deepak Mohan Spolia reappointed Delhi Chief Secretary

NEW DELHI: Deepak Mohan Spolia, a 1979 batch IAS officer, who was removed as Delhi Chief Secretary by the Aam Aadmi Party government in January, was today reappointed to the post, replacing S K Srivastava.

An IAS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories cadre, Spolia was first made Delhi Chief Secretary in December 2012 and was removed from the post by the Union Home Ministry following a request by the then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal had handpicked 1980-batch IAS officer Sanjoy Kumar Srivastava as Chief Secretary of Delhi.

Sources said no assignment has been given to Srivastava so far. He was working as Special Secretary and Financial Adviser at Ministry of Health and Family Welfare before being appointed Delhi Chief Secretary.

59-year-old Spolia was working as Financial Commissioner of Delhi Government since January.

His reappointment came just three days after a BJP delegation led by party's Delhi chief Satish Upadhyay met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and complained against "rigid attitude" of certain officials in the city administration.

Congress welcomed Spolia's reappointment as Chief Secretary saying the NDA government at the Centre has reposed faith in an officer who was chosen for the job by the Sheila Dikshit government.

"We welcome Spolia's appointment as Delhi Chief Secretary. BJP had to chose an officer who was appointed to the top job by the Congress government," said Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Mukesh Sharma.

Spolia is credited with overseeing regularisation of over 800 unauthorised colonies in the national capital.

Sources said he is being brought back to ensure regularisation of the remaining 839 unauthorised colonies before the next assembly polls in the city.