Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 30: Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Ashok Jaitley passed away in New Delhi today.
He served as the Chief Secretary of the State from 1996 to 2002.
After his retirement on April 30, 2002, Jaitley also served as Principal Advisor to the then Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah for six months.
He was believed to be one of the powerful and competent Chief Secretaries in the State. Popular among friends and relatives as Tony, Jaitley joined the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) in 1964 and was assigned the Jammu and Kashmir cadre.
He served in various capacities and was the youngest IAS officer to rise the level of a Secretary among his batch mates.
Jaitley was the second-longest serving Chief Secretary of the State after Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad, who was Chief Secretary from 1953 to 1963.
Besides an illustrious career in the civil service, Jaitley was a prolific reader and a socialite.
He wrote articles for many newspapers and magazines after retirement.
Jaitley, according to a friend, was writing a book on Kashmir that might have been interrupted by his illness and subsequent death.
Family sources said the cremation will take place tomorrow at 11 am at Lodhi Road in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, Governor, N N Vohra has expressed grief over the sad demise of Ashok Jaitley.
In a message of condolence, the Governor has conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul. A spokesperson of the Raj Bhavan disclosed that the Governor knew Jaitley for many years and considered him a very capable administrator who had performed creditably during very difficult times.
Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has also expressed deep sorrow over the sad demise of Ashok Jaitley.
Paying rich tributes, Mufti Sayeed described the former bureaucrat as an outstanding officer who rose to become the Chief Secretary of J&K purely on the basis of his dedication and administrative acumen. He said the contribution of Ashok Jaitley in the development of the State will be remembered for times to come.
The Chief Minister conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved family and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
National Conference also condoled the demise of Ashok Jaitley.
Condoling the demise of the former Chief Secretary, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah expressed grief and sorrow over the noted bureaucrat’s passing away and prayed for peace to the departed soul. Dr. Farooq Abdullah said Jaitley’s service to the State of Jammu and Kashmir stood out and would be remembered for a long time to come.
National Conference working president Omar Abdullah said he was saddened by news of the demise of Mr. Ashok Jaitley and described him as a renowned and excellent public servant.
Chief Secretary, Iqbal Khandey has also expressed profound grief over the demise of Ashok Jaitley. “The news of his demise has come as a shock to me,” he said.
Expressing his sentiments, Principal Secretary, Planning and Development, B R Sharma described Jaitley as an iconic figure and a strong administrator. “Each one of us would look up to him; he was decisive, quick on uptake and helpful to junior officers. We always felt very comfortable with him,” he said.
Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, B B Vyas described Jaitley as a great human being endowed with an overpowering personality and a person known for his intellect and friendly nature.
Principal Secretary, Forests, R. K. Gupta, Principal Secretary, Home, R K Goyal, Commissioner Secretary, R&B, Rohit Kansal, Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education, Sarita Chauhan, Commissioner Secretary, Agriculture, M A Bukhari and others also recalled their association with the former Chief Secretary especially during their early days of service.
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