No transfers in Uttar Pradesh without CM Yogi Adityanath's permission

In a move aimed at resolving the crisis which resulted in resentment among several senior ministers and also in the resignation of Minister of State for Irrigation and Water Resources Dinesh Khatik, which was later withdrawn, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that henceforth no official will be transferred without his permission.

UP Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, in a directive, said that no official could be shifted after the end of the transfer season without the approval of the CM. ''After the end of the transfer season, the officials can not be shifted from their place of posting unless approved by the chief minister,'' Mishra said.

The directive would have a direct bearing on about 25 lakh state government employees.

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Earlier the transfers of class three and four employees were ordered by the ministers of the concerned departments and the approval of the chief minister was not required.

According to the sources, the decision was aimed at settling the controversy over the large-scale transfers of officials of different departments in which, some UP ministers, alleged money had exchanged hands.

One of the ministers of state Dinesh Khatik, who hailed from the dalit community, had resigned last month citing 'humiliation' and 'corruption' in transfers leaving the BJP red faced. Khatik later relented after the intervention of the senior BJP leaders.

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Khatik, in a letter to union home minister Amit Shah, had said that it was ''useless for me to continue to work as there is no respect for a dalit minister of state and so I am resigning from my post."

Two others, including deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who also is minister for health, and PWD minister Jitin Prasada had also expressed their displeasure over large scale transfers in their respective departments without taking them into confidence.

Though Khatik was placated, the developments had certainly left Adityanath and the saffron party red faced as it was for the first time a minister had chosen to by-pass Adityanath and shoot his resignation letter to central leadership which contained serious allegations against the state government.