Inside The Secretariat: Civil Aviation Policy, IN-SPACe, & IAS Suspension Cases

State’s Civil Aviation Policy Still Up In The Air

Despite being presented at the highest level two to three times, the Gujarat government’s new Civil Aviation Policy has yet to see the light of day. Stakeholders have been waiting for a long time, but there is still no clarity on when the policy will be finalised or announced. According to officials from the civil aviation department, the proposed policy is expected to play a crucial role in promoting the aerospace and defence sectors, with a strong focus on incentives, subsidies, and infrastructure development.

The draft policy reportedly covers new airports, heliports, aviation services, and training facilities. However, uncertainty continues over its timeline. Meanwhile, land acquisition is underway to develop heliports at major tourist destinations such as Dwarka, Ambaji, Somnath, and Saputara. As per official data, Gujarat currently has 19 airports, 208 helipads, and two water aerodromes, while work on three new airports is in progress. Despite this expanding aviation infrastructure, the state is still without a clearly defined civil aviation policy framework.

R&B Secretary’s Chair Becomes A Dilemma

In the Gujarat government’s Roads and Buildings Department, the post of Secretary has consistently remained a challenge. Since this is a technical post, an IAS officer cannot be appointed to it. Only officers from the engineering cadre are eligible for the position. With the current Secretary, P. R. Patelia, set to retire in March 2026, a major question has arisen over who will replace him. The problem is that the government is facing a severe shortage of officers who possess the requisite experience of having served as Chief Engineer. Those who are aspiring for the post are unable to fit into the Secretary-level framework.

As a result, the government is left with only the option of making a contractual appointment. In the past, there was consideration to appoint an IAS officer to this post, but the effort failed as the position is technical in nature. In some states across the country, this department has both administrative and technical posts, allowing for the appointment of either an IAS officer or an engineer. However, since Gujarat does not have such a structure, the appointment of an IAS officer is not possible.

Registrar Cadre Dominates IAS Selection

There are three ways to become an IAS officer. First, through direct recruitment (RR) by clearing the UPSC examination. Second, State Administrative Service officers can be promoted to IAS after completing a specified number of years in service. Third, officers from other cadres can become IAS through selection by clearing an examination. In Gujarat, against the vacancies arising every year, such officers are inducted into the top cadre.

Over the past few years, among officers selected from other cadres to become IAS, the highest number — ten officers — have come from the Registrar cadre. Recently, two more officers who were District Registrars have become IAS through the UPSC selection route, and based on the DoPT notification, the Gujarat General Administration Department has given them postings. Among these two officers, Avni Vora has been posted as Member and Registrar at the Gujarat State Cooperative Tribunal, while Tekchand Tirthani has been posted as Joint Registrar (Audit) at the Agriculture and Rural Development Bank, Rajkot. Notably, Hardik Shah (Selection-2010), who is serving as Private Secretary in the PMO, also became an IAS officer from the other-cadre selection route.

IAS Suspension Cases A Sore Spot For Surat

Although the service history of IAS officers suspended in the state and district administration may remain concealed when departmental action is initiated, the government investigates the places where they previously served.

Of the six IAS officers suspended over the past six to seven years, four have earlier served in Surat district. Surendranagar Collector Rajendra Patel was serving as Deputy Municipal Commissioner in Surat a year ago. K. Rajesh, who was suspended following arrest by the CBI, had also served in Surat. Anand Collector D.S. Gadhvi was earlier a DDO in Surat, and IAS officer Ayush Oak was also suspended during his tenure in Surat. In Gujarat’s administrative system, the maximum number of officers have been suspended in land-related scams.

Gujarat Cadre IAS Posted To IN-SPACe

In 2022, the central government appointed Gujarat cadre IAS officer Lochan Sehra (2002 batch) the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) on deputation, but about a month ago he was relieved and repatriated to the Gujarat government, which appointed him as Secretary of the Labour, Skill Development and Employment Department.

On the other hand, the central government has appointed another Gujarat cadre IAS officer, Anupam Anand (2000 batch), who was waiting for posting, to the vacant post of Joint Secretary at IN-SPACe. He will serve in this position for five years. Thus, one Gujarat cadre officer has returned from deputation, while another has been sent to the Centre on deputation. This centre, located at Bopal in Ahmedabad, functions under the Department of Space.

ISRO plays a key role in India’s space sector, but with the entry of the private sector, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has been established as a nodal agency. Its main objective is to provide a pathway for private companies, research institutions and youth to enter and grow in the space industry.

Offline Files To Attract Disciplinary Proceedings

As part of efforts to bring transparency in primary and secondary education, Gujarat’s Commissionerate of Schools will no longer accept any files or correspondence in hard copy. Instructions have been issued to all District Education Officers (DEOs) that administrative and academic work must now be carried out only under the e-Governance portal.

As per the order issued by the School Commissioner, any file submitted in physical form from a DEO office will be rejected, and disciplinary action will be taken against the erring officer for violation of orders. This means officers who sit on files will be directly monitored. Online tracking will show which file has been lying on whose table and for how long. Many times, with the intention of taking bribes, applicants’ files were deliberately delayed and documents went missing, but now final orders have been issued to strictly implement the e-Governance system.