'Durga' of UP, Appointed DM Banda, 13-years After Joining IAS

Kicking off another administrative sandstorm, Yogi Adityanath government in UP has appointed the 2010-batch UP Cadre IAS Officer Durga Shakti Nagpal as District Magistrate of Banda, 13-years after she joined civil services. An IAS officer gets charge of a district usually after putting in five years in IAS. But, Ms Nagpal covered this distance in 13 years . She was presently working as Special Secretary in Medical Education department in Uttar Pradesh government. The state government on Saturday evening has issued transfer orders of four other IAS officers.

This is to the first time that Ms Nagpal has kicked off a controversy. In fact, she shot into the national limelight in July 2013  during her first posting as SDM in Greater Noida when she took stern actions against the sand-mine mafia patronised by the local Samajwadi Party MLC Mr Narendra Bhati. She was suspended after Bhati complained against her to the then Chief Minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav.

Her suspension generated heat at the national level as social activists and a number of union ministers criticised the hamhanded action against Ms Nagpal and demanded revocation of her suspension. Action against her was opposed by Central IAS Officers Association as well as UP IAS Officers Association. But, the chief minister Mr Yadav too put his foot down and made the decision his prestige issue. 

SHOW CAUSE NOTICE

He issues show cause notice to Ms Nagpal to which she replied with full facts at her command. The issue was resolved after the intervention of the then PMO headed by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Her suspension was revoked on September 26, 2013. But, after serving the UP Government for one year, she was shifted to the Centre on deputation.

A native of Delhi, Ms Nagpal had been allocated Punjab cadre upon completion of her training. She got her cadre changed to UP after marrying fellow 2011-batch IAS officer Abhishek Singh, who was serving in the UP cadre. She got her first posting as SDM, Greater Noida where she ran into rough weather following Mr Bhati’s complaint against her. 

She returned from Central deputation on March 24, 2021, and was appointed by the Yogi Adityanath government as Special Secretary in Medical Education department. However, it took even the Yogi government two years to give her responsibility of a district.

FOUR MORE TRANSFERS

Mr Divya Kirti Giri has been appointed as Staff Officer of the Chief Secretary of the state, Mr Durga Shankar Mishra. Mr Giri so far was posted as Special Secretary in Food and Civil Supplies department.

Ms Samyukta Samaddar, a 1999-batch IAS officer has been made Commissioner, National Capital Region (NCR). She was awaiting posting for some time. Mr Krishna Kumar who had been earlier transferred as Member (Juducial) Revenue Board, Prayagraj, has been reinstated on his previous position -Special Secretary, Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC). Mr Anand Kumar, presently working as Special Secretary Culture, has been shifted to the Revenue Board in place of Mr Krishna Kumar