With BJP set to form government, Noida bureaucrats brace for transfers

Bureaucrats in the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities are apprehensive over their status as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in the state. Sources said that those close to the Samajwadi Party (SP) are worried about being transferred.

Bureaucrats in the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities are apprehensive over their status as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to form the government in the state. Sources said that those close to the Samajwadi Party (SP) are worried about being transferred.

The Noida authority office in Sector 6 wore a deserted look on Tuesday.

Postings in the three industrial authorities are most sought after in the state, as Gautam Budh Nagar is considered to have good medical and educational facilities, and is in close proximity to the national capital.

Sources said that around 40% of the staff of the authority did not report to the office on Tuesday.

“Whenever there is a change in the state government, top officials in the Noida or Greater Noida authority are transferred. Therefore, the staff is waiting for new officials to join. Until then, normalcy will not prevail in the Sector 6 office,” an official said.

Engineers and officials who were considered close to SP have started lobbying with the BJP to retain their posting in the district. Officials close to the Bahujan Samaj Party, who were hoping that Mayawati would come to power, have also started getting meeting BJP leaders, sources said.

“Senior project engineers, junior engineers and other officials are lobbying with newly elected BJP MLAs and other top leaders, either to get plum posts or to retain the current position. However, it remains to be seen whether they will be successful,” a Noida authority official said.

As the BSP and the SP formed the governments in the state, alternatively, since 2002, most officials in Noida and Greater Noida are divided into two groups, on the lines of BSP and SP, sources said.

Prior to the BSP and SP domination, the BJP was in power and Rajnath Singh was the chief minister.

In 2012, when the SP government came to power, many officials close to the party occupied important positions in the Noida authority, sources said. On Tuesday the administrative building of the Noida authority wore a deserted look.

When SP won the elections in 2012, SP’s local leaders immediately put up posters and banners outside the authority building. Now, local BJP leaders have put up large posters outside the authority office to indicate the change in regime.