Telangana Former chief secretary Somesh Kumar arrived in Amaravati on Thursday to take up a new posting in Andhra Pradesh. On Tuesday, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) relieved Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar from the state's service with immediate effect and directed him to join the Andhra Pradesh government, latest by January 12.
Speaking to the media upon his arrival at the Vijayawada airport, Somesh Kumar said that he had followed the Indian government's instructions to come here and report.
"As an officer, I am ready to take on any responsibility that the government entrusts. No post is big or small. Whatever post I get, I will work," said Somesh Kumar when asked whether he would accept a lower post in Andhra Pradesh after serving as the Chief Secretary in Telangana.
Somesh Kumar said he would meet Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and would wait for the orders from the Andhra Pradesh government.
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When asked about reports that he will work as an advisor to the Telangana government, Somesh Kumar said no decision had been taken. "Nothing has been decided. Let us see," he said without elaborating further.
The Telangana High Court on Tuesday set aside the order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), allocating Somesh Kumar to Telangana in 2016.
On Wednesday, senior IAS officer A. Santhi Kumari was appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Telangana. After Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao approved her appointment to the top administrative position in the state, the state government issued orders designating her as the Chief Secretary.
Santhi Kumari, a 1989 batch officer, is the first woman to be Chief Secretary of Telangana. She is a postgraduate in Marine Biology, studied for an MBA in the United States, and worked for two years in United Nations programs. She served in various positions in the departments of poverty alleviation, education, health, skill development, and forestry over the past three decades of her service.
(With IANS inputs)