All four special secretaries promoted

PUDUCHERRY: All the four Special Secretaries to the Puducherry government -- P Mathew Sammuel, G Ragesh Chandra, G Theva Neethi Dhas and B R Babu-- have been promoted to the IAS rank. An order to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, on November 24.The four had been appointed along with 22 other State Civil Services Officers from other states. Mathew Samuel, on top of the promotion list, was promoted as per the 2009 list of vacancies along with seven others while Ragesh Chandra, Theva Neethi Dhas and Babu, along with 15 others, were promoted as per the list of 2010.The appointments of all the 26 officers are subject to a final decision on a case in this regard filed by Dr B P Joshi and another versus Union of India and others, pending before the CAT, Principal Bench in New Delhi.Mathew held the post of Special Secretary, Industries, while Ragesh Chandra, who is facing a CBI inquiry over irregularities in the construction of tsunami houses in Kalapet, was recently named Special Secry, Civil Supplies, Cooperation and Art and Culture as well as MD, Pondicherry Industrial Promotion, Development and Investment Corporation. Theva Neethi Dhas held the post of Special Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Welfare, Environment, General Administration and Enforcement Cell and Babu was Special Secretary, Tourism.The posts were designated for some senior PCS officers who qualified for promotion to IAS rank.