Himachal News : Top Bureaucrats Compete for Staggering RERA Chairman Post in Himachal

Shimla, January 23: The race for the coveted post of Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Chairman has heated up, with Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena and Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) RD Dhiman among the prominent contenders. Nearly half a dozen other serving and retired bureaucrats have also applied for the post, according to highly placed sources.

The post, along with two vacant Member positions, came up following the end of the term of former RERA Chairman Srikant Baldi on December 12, 2024. Baldi is a retired Chief Secretary appointed by the erstwhile BJP government. The appointment is made through a committee comprising the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, as its chairperson, along with the Secretary (Urban Development) and Secretary (Law) as members.

Prabodh Saxena, an IAS officer from the 1990-batch, who is retiring on March 31, 2025. He is currently serving as the Chief Secretary since January 2, 2023, and his possible selection may advance the appointment of a Chief Secretary for the state before him.

RD Dhiman, IAS officer of 1988 batch and present CIC, is another name doing the rounds. Dhiman was appointed CIC on Dec 30, 2022, a day after he retired as Chief Secretary. He has close ties with the government and has almost a year of his CIC stint left. He is seeking a fresh term of three years as RERA Chairman.

There are a few other senior bureaucrats who are in the fray apart from Saxena and Dhiman. These are:

• Sanjay Gupta 1988 batch, Chief Managing Director, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, who was a long time since being passed over for Chief Secretary.
• Kamlesh Kumar Pant 1993 batch, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest)
• Anuradha Thakur 1994 batch; currently on central deputation
• Onkar Sharma 1994 batch, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue).

The appointment process is expected to take over a month. If Saxena secures the RERA position, the state will see a new Chief Secretary before his retirement date.

The competition underscores the high stakes involved in the selection of the RERA Chairman, a role critical to regulating and streamlining real estate activities in the state.