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IAS Officer Ashok Khemka Transferred For The 46th Time In 22 Years

IAS Officer Ashok Khemka Transferred For The 46th Time In 22 Years
BCCL

IAS officer Ashok Khemka has been transferred for the 46th time after the Haryana government issued orders to move him from his post of Transport Commissioner and Secretary in the Transport Department. He has now been moved to ostensibly a defunct position, as Secretary and Director General in the Archaeology and Museums Department.

Khemka has made his anguish clear. "Tried hard to address corruption and bring reforms in Transport despite severe limitations and entrenched interests. Moment is truly painful," tweeted out the senior IAS officer late Wednesday night.

Tried hard to address corruption and bring reforms in Transport despite severe limitations and entrenched interests. Moment is truly painful

— Ashok Khemka, IAS (@AshokKhemka_IAS) April 1, 2015

On Thursday, he continued registering his disquiet, in the form of tweets. To one person who highlighted that Khemka had been promoted under Narendra Modi's government, he replied, "The rank of Director General or Secretary is given to 16 year senior IAS. I am 24 year senior," suggesting it was eight years past due.

He also confirmed that he had not wanted the transfer, and that he had held his post as transport commissioner for precisely 128 days.

No single IAS officer in any state has been transferred as many times as Khemka, who started his service in 1993. Khemka is known for his fearless dealing with political bigwigs and well-known businessmen. Khemka ordered scrutiny of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra's land records.

Haryana health minister Anil Vij has said that he will speak with the state chief minister about Khemka's transfer. He had recently publicly shown his support to Khemka in reply to a tweet from the officer, who quoted poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore saying "If no one responds to your call, then go your own way alone."

@AshokKhemka_IAS I am with You

— ANIL VIJ Hr Minister (@anilvijmantri) March 28, 2015

According to the statutory IAS (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Regulations 2010, the tenure of any officer should be a minimum of two years.

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