The Uttarakhand High Court has raised questions about the assignment of multiple departmental charges to a single IAS officer, Brijesh Kumar Sant. On Thursday, a division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Pankaj Purohit issued a notice to Sant and sought a response from the state government within four weeks.
The notice was prompted by a petition from the Taxi-Maxi Maha Sangh, which argues that Sant’s responsibilities are too extensive, negatively impacting his ability to address issues within his departments effectively. Currently, Sant holds positions in two mining departments, and additionally serves as the Transport Secretary, Transport Commissioner, State Transport Authority (STA) Chairman, and Financial Advisor of the Roadways Department.
The Sangh’s complaint highlights the difficulties arising from one IAS officer overseeing multiple critical roles, suggesting that this could lead to neglect of departmental issues due to divided attention and possible overload.
