EC removes UP Chief Secretary; new incumbent takes over

Lucknow, Mar 16 (UNI) Shambhu Nath today took over as the new Chief Secretary (CS) of the Uttar Pradesh, after the Election Commission (EC) earlier today removed Navin Chandra Bajpai from the post.

Senior IAS officer Shambhu Nath of 1970 batch, the senior-most officer serving in UP, is the new Chief Secretary with immediate effect.

The EC has also given an extension of six months to the new CS, who was due to retire from service on March 31.

Talking to reporters after assuming the charge, Mr Nath said his priority would be to ensure free and fair election in UP.

''I am not aware of my term...my priorities would remain unchanged,'' he said.

He said besides ensuring that rule of law prevailed, he would also see that the progress attained in developmental works continued unabated.

Before being appointed as the CS, Mr Nath, a native of Ranchi in Jharkhand, was Chairman, UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) and had served as principal secretary to the governor for a long period. He is also the President of the UP IAS Association.

According to the EC sources, the decision was taken in wake of large-scale apprehensions expressed by political opponents of the Samajwadi Party that Mr Bajpai was close to the ruling party.

Yesterday, the EC had appointed G L Sharma as the new DGP of the UP and transferred several other senior officials.

UNI