IAS officer Rakesh Singh superannuates after long stint in UDD

Bengaluru: Senior IAS officer Rakesh Singh superannuated on Friday after a record stint as the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Urban Development Department (UDD). 

A 1989-batch, Karnataka-cadre IAS officer, he also headed the Water Resources Department for four years straight, besides leading several important departments, including the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in his 35 years of media-shy public service. 

To fill the posts Singh held, the state government on Friday gave three senior IAS officers additional responsibilities.

While Development Commissioner Shalini Rajneesh has been posted as ACS to the government, which is second-in-command after the chief secretary, Umashankar SR will head the Home and Urban Development Departments. Gaurav Gupta will head the Water Resources Department in addition to the Energy Department. 

The government did not fill the post of administrator of the BBMP, a position created in the absence of a mayor and held by Singh until his retirement. 

Until recently, there was a buzz that BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath will be posted as Additional Chief Secretary in the Urban Development Department and Umashankar will replace him. 

Multiple sources told DH that Singh was lobbying hard to become the chairman of the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) with the help of a retired IAS officer. However, there are multiple aspirants for the post, considered to be powerful as it involves dealing with real estate developers and aggrieved homebuyers. 

As the head of the appellate authority in the UDD, Singh was in the news recently for approving the utilisation of Transferable Development Right (TDR) certificates to a realty firm by overlooking the prevailing laws.