Gujarat Government Reshuffles 50 Field-Level IAS Officers

The transfers, which come ahead of parliamentary elections due in April-May, include those of Collectors in the districts of Surat, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Valsad, Navsari, and Kheda. More than a dozen District Development Officers were transferred as well.

The transfers at the field level were necessitated as per the Election Commission of India guidelines, which require all such officers in charge of a district administration be transferred if they have completed, or are about to complete, three years in their current assignment.

Vadodara collector Atul Gor is among the notable changes made by the government. Gor, a promotee IAS officer, has been transferred and appointed as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Moreover, Gor is scheduled to superannuate later this year in March, but it seems that he may continue in the CMO even after his retirement.

Another significant change is that of Kheda collector K L Bachani, who has replaced DK Parekh as the director of Information. Parekh is scheduled to retire on January 31st.

Whereas in Surat, the government has posted Saurabh Pardhi as the District Collector, replacing Ayush Oak. Oak has been transferred to Valsad at the post of collector. Both are 2011 batch IAS of Gujarat cadre.