Hyderabad:
Andhra Pradesh government late tonight issued an order extending the service of Chief Secretary Prasanna Kumar Mohanty for four months, a move that has evoked protest from another senior IAS officer who went on protest leave.
Mr Mohanty, an IAS officer of 1979 batch, was supposed to retire from service today on attaining the age of superannuation.
However, the Centre approved extension of Mohanty's tenure till June 30 as the state bifurcation process is currently on, sources in the General Administration Department said.
"Mohanty's tenure has been extended till June 30 in public interest," an official order issued by GAD Secretary (Political) N Siva Sankar said.
The Union Department of Personnel communicated its approval in this regard to the state government late tonight, following which the GAD issued the order.
Meanwhile, protesting the Centre's move, Mr Mohanty's batchmate and currently Chief Commissioner of Land Administration I Y R Krishna Rao proceeded on a ten-day "protest" leave from today.
Krishna Rao shot off a letter to Mr Mohanty in the afternoon stating that he was proceeding on earned leave for ten days in protest.
"It is given to understand that the service extension proposal of Dr P K Mohanty, as Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, is under consideration in Government of India, who is due to retire today.
"The rules specifically mention that extension can only be considered when the officer is of outstanding merit and when there are no other qualified to hold that post", Krishna Rao said in the letter adding "neither of these conditions is fulfilled in the instant case".
He said "it is also informally told to me that the reasons for service extension are that an outside officer would be better equipped to deal with the state's division process as compared to an officer hailing from the state. This very approach is an insult to the All India Service and in protest against such an attitude, I have decided to go on earned leave for a period of 10 days," Krishna Rao added.