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CONFUSION MOUNTS OVER DIRECTOR MINES APPOINTMENT AMID DoP'S AMBIGUOUS ORDER

05 Jan-2025 10:21 AM

Written By: Rajendra Chhabra

Jaipur: The recent order issued by the Department of Personnel (DoP) on January 2nd has further complicated the situation regarding the Director of Mines position. The order mentions that IAS officer Bhagwati Prasad Kalal has been given the additional charge of this post, although there is no official record confirming this arrangement. In fact, the post has been vacant since September 5, 2024, when Bhagwati Kalal was transferred from this role.

FIRST INDIA had raised the issue in detail in its October 9, 2024 edition, emphasizing that although Bhagwati Kalal was transferred to the post of MD of RSMM, no official appointment had been made for his replacement, nor had the DoP issued any order granting him the additional charge of Director of Mines. Instead, Kalal had been overseeing the post based on “verbal orders from higher authorities,” a practice considered irregular and fundamentally wrong.

The key issue is that since September 5, 2024, this important post has been left vacant without any official head. The latest January 2nd order from the DoP, however, mentions Kalal holding the additional charge of Director of Mines, with the charge temporarily assigned to Pragya Kewalramani (Commissioner TAD, Udaipur) during his training. This move has created confusion within the administrative circles, as it raises the question: who is currently the Director of Mines in the state? The DoP order is seen as misleading and confusing.

A crucial question arises: why hasn’t the government appointed a permanent Director for Mines? Reports suggest that influential mining businessmen are pressuring the government to appoint one of department’s Additional Director as the new Director of Mines, even though this post has traditionally been held by an IAS officer. Notably, over the past five years, seven different IAS officers have held this post. Sources indicate that the government itself is in a state of confusion and is unable to make a decision on this matter.

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