Benjamin shifted to health dept

Mumbai: Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday shifted additional chief secretary (urban development) T C Benjamin to the public health department in the same rank. 

    Benjamin was in the urban development department for well over six years. Initially, he was secretary (urban development-II) for two years and later in the UD-I for four years. Benjamin replaces Jayant Kumar Banthia, who was last month appointed chief secretary. Benjamin has been replaced by UDII secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava. Like Benjamin, Srivastava too was UD-II secretary for four years. 
    Shrikant Singh, who was in waiting for two months, has been appointed in place of Srivastava, while Thane collector A L Jarad has been appointed as project director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in place of Sanjay Deshmukh, who has taken over as collector, Mumbai suburban district. Former Nashik collector P Velarasu will be the new Thane collector. 
    However, senior bureaucrats are not pleased with the CM's policy. Against the prescribed norm of two years, more than 22 senior bureaucrats have completed a tenure ranging between three to four years. "We feel the CM should draft a policy on postings and transfers. Senior IAS officers are in the same department for a long period in blatant violation of the norms,'' said a senior bureaucrat