Baalu insists on having Dutt as shipping secy

Minister for Shipping T R Baalu’s strong belief in the universal law of change...

Minister for Shipping T R Baalu’s strong belief in the universal law of change is a well-known fact. While he got NHAI three chairpersons and the Roads department another secretary last year, he began 2008 on a similar note. Not deterred by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar’s recent rebuff to his proposal to fill in the vacant Shipping Secretary’s position with current Roads Secretary Brahm Dutt, Baalu has written to the Prime Minister insisting on the same.

The Indian Express has learnt that the minister has insisted on Brahm Dutt as his only choice for the Shipping Secretary’s position in

his letter to the PM, keeping the option of moving him out of Road Transport altogether. In such a situation, N Gokulram, chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) stands a fair chance to hold additional charge as Secretary of Road Transport & Highways.

The Shipping Secretary’s position fell vacant after A K Mahapatra retired on January 31, in the midst of the Sethusamudram controversy. While there was speculation that Mahapatra would get an extension, Baalu ruled that out and took his time before zeroing in on Dutt.

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Baalu was keen on having Dutt as head of both Shipping and Road Transport, but decided that he would require Dutt’s services more in the shipping sector which incidentally has been in the doldrums recently. The PM had pulled up the ministry for its lacklustre performance last year.

The year 2007 saw three new chairmen at NHAI with Pradeep Kumar having a 11-month stint, followed by Jivtesh Singh Maini who had a two-month term, before the current incumbent N Gokulram took charge. Kumar had made way for Maini soon after former Roads Secretary Vijay Singh moved out in August 2007, after a-year-long tenure as Defence Secretary, and Dutt stepped into his shoes.