Official under CBI probe transferred

By Our Special Correspondent

GANDHINAGAR, NOV. 30. The Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr. Keshubhai Patel, has shunted out the Forest and Environment Department Additional Chief Secretary, Mr. P. Basu, shifting him to the little-known post of Commissioner of Revenue Inspection.

The transfer order was issued by Mr. Patel late last night after the Chief Minister was grilled in his weekly media conference here yesterday for pleading ignorance about the alleged leakage by Mr. Basu of some sensitive documents relating to the national security to a private company.

Immediately after the media conference, the Chief Minister summoned the officials concerned and gave them a dressing down for keeping him in the dark about the entire episode in which the CBI had started an inquiry and the Gujarat High Court was holding an ``in camera'' proceeding in view of the sensitivity of the issue.

The sources close to the Chief Minister said Mr. Patel after checking the related papers found prima facie evidence of Mr. Basu's involvement in the case and ordered his transfer with immediate effect. His place as the Forest and Environment Secretary would be taken over by the Principal Secretary to the Environment Department, Mr. Arjun Singh, while Mr. Basu will succeed another senior bureaucrat, Mr. P. G. Ramrakhiani, who retired today.

Mr. Basu was alleged to have issued telephonic instructions to the forest officials in the border districts in the State to hand over to a private company for ``digitalisation'' of the sensitive ``toposheets''.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Other States
Previous : Assembly session from Dec. 14
Next     : Film crew starts shooting