08-28-2009, 06:43 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>PMO forces Alagiri to drop his OSD</b>
pioneer.com
J Gopikrishnan | New Delhi
<b>Vishwanathan had amassed huge benami land after becoming Ministerâs aide</b>
The Prime Ministerâs Office has compelled <b>Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers MK Alagiri to drop his Officer on Special Duty AK Vishwanathan, an IPS officer in the rank of Inspector General.
Alagiri appointed the IPS officer as his OSD in violation of the directives of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), which stated that any officer above the rank of a Joint Secretary can't be engaged as Private Secretary or OSD</b>.
Sources said the ACC, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, objected to the deputation of such a senior official on the Ministersâ staff.
Vishwanathan may have been dropped for the ostensible reasons of being an officer above Joint Secretary-level, but the PMO was flooded with various sorts of complaints.<b> A judicial inquiry is continuing in his role in the police firing at the Madras High Court premises in February during a strike by advocates when he was the Chennai Additional Commissioner of Police</b>.
The Tamil Nadu media and Opposition parties also went to town with allegations that soon after becoming the OSD,<b> Vishwanathan acquired âbenamiâ property in Madurai where Alagiri announced setting up a multi-crore chemical factory and drug manufacturing unit.</b>
The Opposition parties and media reports alleged that Vishwanathan had amassed land in the name of relatives and newly-floated companies in Madurai after becoming the OSD. This huge purchase was done just before Alagiri made announcements on big chemical and drug projects in his constituency, Madurai. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
pioneer.com
J Gopikrishnan | New Delhi
<b>Vishwanathan had amassed huge benami land after becoming Ministerâs aide</b>
The Prime Ministerâs Office has compelled <b>Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers MK Alagiri to drop his Officer on Special Duty AK Vishwanathan, an IPS officer in the rank of Inspector General.
Alagiri appointed the IPS officer as his OSD in violation of the directives of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), which stated that any officer above the rank of a Joint Secretary can't be engaged as Private Secretary or OSD</b>.
Sources said the ACC, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, objected to the deputation of such a senior official on the Ministersâ staff.
Vishwanathan may have been dropped for the ostensible reasons of being an officer above Joint Secretary-level, but the PMO was flooded with various sorts of complaints.<b> A judicial inquiry is continuing in his role in the police firing at the Madras High Court premises in February during a strike by advocates when he was the Chennai Additional Commissioner of Police</b>.
The Tamil Nadu media and Opposition parties also went to town with allegations that soon after becoming the OSD,<b> Vishwanathan acquired âbenamiâ property in Madurai where Alagiri announced setting up a multi-crore chemical factory and drug manufacturing unit.</b>
The Opposition parties and media reports alleged that Vishwanathan had amassed land in the name of relatives and newly-floated companies in Madurai after becoming the OSD. This huge purchase was done just before Alagiri made announcements on big chemical and drug projects in his constituency, Madurai. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->