Delhi Assembly Secretary given 2-year extension by Speaker

New Delhi, Aug 25 (PTI) Delhi Assembly Secretary PrasannaKumar Suryadevara has been given a two-year extension of hisdeputation by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, rejecting publicbroadcaster Prasar Bharti’s request to repatriate the officer. Delhi government officials said the Speaker has the powerto extend deputation of any officer working in the assemblysecretariat. "We have given him (Suryadevara) extension of two years.Mr Prasanna is going nowhere. He will work with us till 2018,"Goel told PTI. In a letter to Delhi government’s Services Department lastmonth, Prasar Bharti had stated that Suryadevara should berepatriated with immediate effect as it is facing acuteshortage of staff. Suryadevara, an official belonging to Newsreader-cum-Translator (Telugu) cadre, was appointed to the post of DelhiAssembly Secretary in July last year, initially for a periodof one year. When his one-year deputation period ended this July, theAssembly Speaker had requested the Prasar Bharti to extend hisstay in the current position. However, Prasar Bharti expressed inability to extendSuryadevara’s deputation and asked Delhi government torepatriate him, saying it was in dire need of experiencedprofessionals. Suryadevara had served Lok Sabha for five years and RajyaSabha for over six years through the offices of Lok SabhaSpeaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman respectively. Questioning Prasar Bharti’s move, a Delhi governmentofficial wondered why such request was not made whenSuryadevara was working for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. In a letter to Services Department, Prasar Bharti’s DeputyDirector (Administration) V Sripathi had said, "As thisDirectorate is in dire need for expressed professionals, likePrasana Kumar Suryadevara, NRT (Telugu), the Directorateexpresses its inability to concur with the desire of Speaker,Delhi Assembly for the absorption of Prasana KumarSuryadevara." PTI BUN MPBZMN