Don’t transfer officials to or from my dept. without approval, Shivakumar tells Chief Secretary

D.K. Shivakumar | Photo Credit: file photo

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh not to transfer officials to the Water Resources Department without his approval.

He demanded that the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) immediately revoke the transfers already made.

The DPAR falls under the Chief Minister and the letter is largely seen as a game of one-upmanship between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar.

In the letter, Mr. Shivakumar told the Chief Secretary that he had been informed during the formation of the government in 2023 that there would be no interference in the transfer of officials of his department without his approval.

Five chief engineers were transferred to the Water Resources Department on May 9 and Mr. Shivakumar wrote to the Chief Secretary on May 13.

Speaking to reporters after inspecting the rajakaluve and canals that caused floods near Manyata Tech Park at Yelahanka, Mr. Shivakumar reiterated that he had written to the Chief Secretary not to transfer officials from his department or to his department without his permission.

“Engineers come to our department and get promoted and then get transferred to other departments, including Public Works, or zilla panchayat,” he said.

When asked who had transferred them without his permission, the Deputy Chief Minister said, MLAs tend to bring pressure to send engineers to other departments.

“In such cases, I have asked them to bring it to my attention before transferring them,” he added.

Published - May 29, 2025 06:33 pm IST