Short stint at top post? NC Goel is no exception

The newly-appointed chief secretary NC Goel, an IAS officer of 82 batch, who is set to retire in April, just four months after assuming the top bureaucratic post, has set tongues wagging in the corridors of power in view of very short stint. But the bureaucratic annals of the state show that he is not the exception. Before him, many people have held the covted post even for a period shorter than Goel’s.

Rajasthan, known as princely state before the partition, received first chief secretary on April 13, 1949 as K Radhakrishnan. After serving the post for nearly a year, he assumed the office again for four months. The year 1977 saw appointment of RD Thapar as chief secretary for the shortest span in the history of Rajasthan. Thapar served the office only for 50 days- from May 4 to June 22 in the year 1977. Prior to him, Saanwal Dan Ujjawal who was appointed chief secretary in the year 1964 served for only three months and 21 days, which is second shortest period for an IAS on the top post. Except them, there were two more IAS officers whose tenure to the post remained nearly four months, the same tenure Goel is set to serve if he is not given an extension. They were Govind Mishra (4 months 28 days) in 1993 and V Narainan (4 months) in 1950.

Former chief secretaries Mohan Mukharjee and CS Rajan, who is currently vice chairman of CM advisory council, served the top post twice. Each tenure of both was less than 4 months. Mukherjee in 1975 served the post for nearly 20 months while next time he remained on the post for merely 4 months, 8 days. Rajan, similarly, held the office for around 50 days in his first stint and later he assumed office again for 18 months after Rajiv Mehershi left on deputation in central government. 

‘Efficiency matters’

“Efficiency matters. In the history there have been several instances when officers served for merely 2 months,” said an IAS officer.