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• The politics over the post of DG (Road Development) in Road Transport and Highways (RTH) Ministry has culminated in RP Indoria, in charge DG (RD), taking voluntary retirement in protest against the elevation of chief engineer C Kandasamy to the coveted post. The Government has accepted Indoria’s resignation.“That is true. I have taken voluntary retirement due to personal reasons.” Indoria told The Pioneer on Monday, without assigning the reasons.Indoria was originally junior to Kandasamy but elevated to DG (RD) with an additional charge while Kandasamy remained a chief engineer as adverse remarks were made in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) in 2008.Then Transport Minister TR Baalu had ordered Kandasamy’s repatriation from the post of NHAI member (Technical) to RTH Ministry. Sources said Baalu wanted Kandasamy to be suspended overnight as he was displeased over the tardy progress of National Highway Development Project (NHDP) in his home State of Tamil Nadu.

• However, when officials persuaded Baalu that Kandasamy’s suspension was not possible in a knee-jerk action, he had him repatriated to his parent Transport Ministry as Chief Engineer in charge of Standard, Research and Technology wing.Besides, then RTH Secretary Brahm Dutt downgraded Kandasamy’s ACR notches to “average” even though then NHAI Chairman Gokul Ram had assessed his work as “outstanding”. Kamal Nath, who succeeded Baalu as Transport Minister in 2009, did not intervene in the matter for about two years. As a result, Kandasamy’s promotion got stuck. Adding insult to Kandasamy’s injury, RP Indoria was promoted to the ADG’s post despite being junior to him. He was then made in charge DG (RD).

• Aggrieved with the decisions, Kandasamy moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). While the case was still pending, CP Joshi, who succeeded Nath as the RTH Minister last year, overturned Dutt’s decision, endorsed Gokul Ram’s assessment of Kandasamy and rated his ACR as “outstanding”.Thereafter in last April, CAT cleared the decks for Kandasamy’s promotion first as ADG and then DG. Kandasamy was finally promoted to the post of DG (RD) late last month after Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings were held and the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) also cleared his name. However, Indoria, not inclined to work under Kandasamy, resigned in protest.

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