With Veenu Gupta, a 1987 batch IAS officer, joining Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) chief in December, one of the senior members of the authority Shailendra Kumar Aggarwal, a 1986 batch IAS officer, will have to work under the chairman who is a batch junior to him.
Nihal Chand Goel, a 1982 batch IAS officer, was the first chairman of RERA. After Goel completed term in April 2023, Shailendra Kumar Aggarwal has been officiating as the chairman. He is scheduled to retire in January 2024.
“Aggarwal has two months left in his retirement. When Veenu Gupta takes over as the chairman, he will have to work under her directions for at least two months. This situation is not very common in bureaucracy,” said a senior IAS officer on the condition of anonymity.
Another member in RERA, Salvinder Singh Sohata, a 2003 batch IAS officer, promoted from state services, is also going to retire in February 2024.
“After Veenu Gupta takes over, the state government will have to fill two vacancies of RERA members when both these members retire. That means there is opportunity for two more IAS officers to get post retirement assignment,” he said.
The BuckStopper, run by a group of seasoned journalists, holds the powerful accountable. The buck stops with them, as they cannot shrug off their official responsibilities.