Javadekar in no hurry to process Chaturvedi’s transfer: RTI reply

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wish to have Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and whistle blower Sanjeev Chaturvedi in his team is not likely to come true soon.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wish to have Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and whistle blower Sanjeev Chaturvedi in his team is not likely to come true soon.

More than 40 days after Kejriwal made the request, Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar has not approved his deputation to the Delhi government even though his ministry recommended his transfer.

Sources said Chaturvedi’s deputation may take some time as the Centre had developed cold feet over moving him out of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he is without any work for the last several months, to the high-profile job as head of Delhi’s anti-corruption helpline.

Ministry sources said the minister was yet to approve his transfer.

When asked about Chaturvedi’s deputation, Javadekar said, “We are here to discuss policies and not persons…I am not give running commentary on file movement”.

But information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act showed the government’s reluctance to relive him of his charge.

Kejriwal had written to the environment minister seeking the Haryana cadre IFS service officer’s transfer on February 17. Two days later, environment secretary Ashok Lavasa forwarded a file seeking the minister’s approval for forwarding Chaturvedi’s case to the Cabinet Committee on Appointment for transfer. The minister raised some questions to which the secretary replied on March 2, information provided by the ministry shows.

Jain was posted as director with the income tax department.

The Delhi government had sought the services of four officers -- Ghaziabad city magistrate Kapil Mishra, additional district magistrate Moradabad Praveen Singh, Jain and Chaturvedi -- a couple of days after Kejriwal took oath on February 14.

Except Chaturvedi, the other three joined the Delhi government on March 16. Mishra and Singh joined deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s office.