Bureaucrats Magazine – Indian Administrative Service officer Atal Dulloo has been appointed the Chief Secretary of the terrorism-hit Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He will replace the current Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta, who is retiring on November 30. Mr. Dullu is a resident of Jammu and Kashmir and is a 1989 batch IAS officer. His tenure is till November 2026.
Bureaucrats Magazine – In the order issued by the Central Government, it has been said that after the retirement of 1988 batch IAS officer Arun Kumar Mehta of AGMUT cadre, Atal Dulloo will take over the post of Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir on or after December 1.
Bureaucrats Magazine – Atal Dullu was on central deputation and was working as Secretary, Department of Border Management under the Home Ministry. On November 20, the Central Government had sent Atal Dullu back to his Union Territory cadre. Now he has been made the Chief Secretary of the same area where he hails from.
Bureaucrats Magazine – Atal Dullu was born on October 24, 1966 in the valley and is the senior most civil servant belonging to Jammu and Kashmir. Dullu is from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre, now AGMUT cadre. Atal Dullu is currently the Secretary of the Department of Border Management under the Union Home Ministry. He has been sent back to Jammu and Kashmir.
Bureaucrats Magazine – Will take charge from December ..The order issued by the ministry on Wednesday said, on 30-11-2023, A.K. Consequent to the retirement of Mehta IAS (AGMUT-1988) and repatriation from Central deputation, Atal Dulloo IAS (AGMUT-1988) has been appointed as Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir. His tenure will be effective from 01-12-2023 or date of assumption of charge, whichever is earlier, and till further orders.
An alumnus of IIT, Delhi, from where he pursued his B Tech Civil Engineering, Dulloo though politely accepted greetings yet in his inimitable gracious manner refused to comment when Greater Kashmir tried to elicit his response vis-a-vis priorities and challenges of his new assignment. “Please excuse me, this is not the moment to speak on this. We will talk about it certainly on these issues but some other time,” was his precise take.
In his distinguished career, he has served in a number of key positions, both in J&K as well as at the Centre, delivering and impacting the administration and people in a positive manner.
He held the post of Joint Secretary in the Department of Rural Development for five years, during his earlier stint at the Centre on deputation.
At the home front, Dulloo, born on October 24, 1966, also served as the Financial Commissioner (additional Chief Secretary) Finance department. Prior to it, he was Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) Health and Medical Education Department. This was a crucial stint as he had a herculean task to ramp up infrastructure to meet the challenges posed by COVID yet it (challenge) was met with an efficacy.
He also served as Chairman and Managing Director Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation, besides being the Deputy Commissioner of various districts. He also held the post of Sub-Divisional Magistrate in Ladakh, in the initial phase of his career.
Another interesting angle to his appointment has been that it has soothed the frayed nerves in the opposition which has been putting the ruling dispensation in the dock for ignoring senior local bureaucrats.
Instant response to the announcement was from the PDP president and the former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who described it as a “welcome move.”
Incumbent Chief Secretary Dr Mehta, who too handled J&K through its challenging period with grit and determination, had assumed the charge (as the CS) on May 31, 2021.
An IAS officer of 1988 cadre, Dr Mehta became the Chief Secretary after his predecessor B V R Subrahmanyam was posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Union Commerce Ministry.
Mehta too served in significant positions both in J&K and at the Centre. He served as Deputy Commissioners of various districts, before taking over as the Power Secretary in J&K. He also served as the additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
He headed the J&K Finance Department also and made a significant contribution in its turnaround in terms of work culture; meeting targets with a focus on development juxtaposing it with innovation.
