Exercise to identify replacements in final stage
Reshuffle to ensure working of Admn isn’t affected
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 20: Finally, the Union Territory of Ladakh is likely to witness reshuffle in both civil and police administration shortly with Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) zeroing-in on some names of IAS and IPS officers from within AGMUT cadre including Jammu and Kashmir for deputation in the Himalayan UT.
Similar exercise was twice undertaken in February and August 2022 but it couldn’t mature in the absence of suitable replacements. However, the exercise now is almost in final stage but the officers will be replaced one-by-one to ensure that working of administration in Ladakh is not affected, official sources told the Excelsior.
A number of senior IAS officers including those holding top posts in Ladakh have been posted in the Union Territory for last three to four years. Most of them belonged to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre, now AGMUT, while few others are from AGMUT and other State cadre of All India Services (AIS).
Senior IPS officers deployed in Ladakh also belonged to erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre. A number of other IAS and IPS officers have also been deputed to Ladakh from J&K besides JKAS and JKPS.
Sources said the MHA and DoPT in consultations with Ladakh administration are likely to carry out reshuffle of civil and police administration in Ladakh shortly to ensure that officers posted there for last three to four years are either shifted to Jammu and Kashmir, New Delhi or other States/Union Territories covered under AGMUT cadre.
Sources confirmed that some of the officers are posted in Ladakh even before it became the Union Territory and are still serving there while others were posted after it formally became the UT in October 2019. Few others were posted a little later.
Nearly a dozen IAS and IPS officers will be shortlisted by the MHA and DoPT for posting in Ladakh including replacements of some of the existing ones while others will be deployed to fill up few vacancies.
“The exercise is likely to be completed shortly,” sources said.
Earlier also, the issue was taken up by the MHA and DoPT but the then administration had refused to relieve few officers on the ground of good work being done by them in Ladakh.
Both Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been grappling with shortage of IAS officers though it has been overcome to quite an extent with deputation of AGMUT cadre officers and some natives of the two UTs who were posted in other States and were granted an opportunity by the Union Home Ministry to serve in their home UTs for two to three years.
Meanwhile, some IAS and IPS officers are being deputed to Jammu and Kashmir .
“Orders will be issued shortly by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs,” they said.
A number of officers from different All India Services are presently on deputation to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Moreover, after Jammu and Kashmir cadre was abolished and the two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh were made part of AGMUT cadre, several AGMUT cadre officers were also deputed to the twin UTs.
Besides, the officers of Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services (JKAS) and Jammu and Kashmir Police Services (JKPS) have also been posted on deputation to the Union Territory of Ladakh in view of shortage of officers there.
They added that the Union Home Ministry and DoPT hold regular reviews of the performance of AGMUT cadre officers posted in Jammu and Kashmir.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
