New Delhi, May 25: The race to be the top bureaucrat might well end with another extension being contemplated upon for Cabinet Secretary K M Chadrasekhar.Its has become evident that he gets extension for one more year. Papers in this regard have already moved to competent authorities for approval, official sources said.
The extension, if materialises, would mean end of race for 1972 and 1973 batch IAS officers for the post of the top bureaucrat of the country. Three bureaucrats – 1972-batch Kerala cadre officer M Ramachandran handling charge of Urban Development Secretary, 1973-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer Ashok Chawla who is Secretary Finance and 1973-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer P J Thomas who is Secretary, Telecommunication – were in the race for the post, sources said.
Ramachandran will be retiring from service next month while Chawla and Thomas will be retiring in January 2011. 62-year-old Chandrasekhar is a 1970-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer who assumed the charge of the post in 2007 for the term of two years.
He was given a one-year extension in June last year as well.
—Agencies