National

Vaish is telecom panel chief

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI MAY 30. Two years after he was abruptly shifted from the Sanchar Bhavan following protests from telecom officers, Vinod Vaish, IAS officer, was named Chairman of the Telecom Commission, and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in a minor reshuffle of senior officers.

Mr. Vaish, who is at present a Labour Secretary, will replace Shyamal Ghosh, who will take over as administrator of the multi-crore Universal Social Obligation (USO) fund being set up by the Communications Ministry to compensate telecom companies for providing phones in loss-making areas.

Mr. Vaish's entry into the Sanchar Bhavan for the third time has seen the shifting and promotion of the DoT Additional Secretary, Dhanendra Kumar, as Chairman and Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) in the rank and pay of the Secretary, relieving Diwakar Dev who retires on May 31.

Last year around this time, telecom officers had gone on an unprecedented agitation against the appointment of Mr. Vaish as head of the Department of Telecom Services (DTS). The officers went on a day's countrywide casual leave against the inequity in appointing an officer of the IAS cadre as head of the telecom operations wing. He was later moved out of the Ministry.

Mr. Vaish's appointment was cancelled once earlier. He was appointed DTS Secretary in October 1999 but six days later P. S. Saran, senior-most telecom officer, was named Secretary.

P. D. Shenoy, presently Secretary, Department for Development of the North East region, will be the new Labour Secretary. Atul Sinha, presently Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce, will fill Dr. Shenoy's place.

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