Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued fresh transfer orders involving a number of senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, resulting in key changes in Goa’s administrative and policing setup.
According to the latest notifications, IAS officer Michael D’Souza has been posted to Goa from the Union Territory of Ladakh, while Nikhil Dessai, earlier serving in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, has also been reassigned to the State.
On the policing front, IPS officer SM Prabhudessai has been transferred to Goa from Arunachal Pradesh, and Shruti Arora, who was serving in Ladakh, has likewise been posted to the State.
Simultaneously, the Centre has ordered the relocation of several officers currently serving in Goa. IAS officers Sanjeev Ahuja and Ankita Mishra have been transferred out of the State, along with IPS officer Akshat Kaushal.
At the time of his transfer, Ahuja was holding the charge of Secretary for Tourism and Information Technology, while Mishra was serving as the Excise Commissioner.
Kaushal, who had earlier drawn attention following the stampede at the Devi Lairai zatra in Shirgao in May last year, has also been moved out of Goa. The incident, which resulted in seven fatalities, had sparked sharp criticism regarding crowd control and policing arrangements. Kaushal had been overseeing the State Police Control Room and was earlier relieved of his post as Superintendent of Police, North Goa, in the aftermath of the tragedy.
