Atal Dulloo takes over as Chief Secretary

Jammu, Dec 1: Atal Dulloo, a 1989 batch IAS officer having vast experience in the UT, Friday joined back as Chief Secretary of J&K after his brief stint in Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as a Secretary, Border Management.

On November 29, MHA had appointed him as the new Chief Secretary of J&K. Earlier on November 20, he was repatriated to his parent (Union Territory) cadre on the request of the MHA.

Dulloo has succeeded Arun Kumar Mehta, who attained the age of superannuation on November 30, 2023.

Known for his amiable style of functioning, Dulloo is the first J&K domicile to attain the top position in bureaucracy in the Union Territory after 2017, when B R Sharma, another son of the soil, had completed his term as the Chief Secretary.

Being an AGMUT cadre IAS officer, the new Chief Secretary has served in J&K for most part of his service. He has earlier been a key person to successfully row the UT amid the lethal COVID-19 crisis as Financial Commissioner, Health & Medical Education.

Before going to central deputation in June this year, Dulloo was serving J&K as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Agriculture Production Department and has been instrumental in devising of Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) aiming at revolutionizing the agri sector here and manifold increase in farmers’ income.

Dulloo has also served as Deputy Commissioner of key districts in the erstwhile state and has received many honours including state award for meritorious public service on Republic Day in 2013 and silver medal for successfully conducting assembly elections in 1996.

An alumnus of IIT, Delhi, from where he pursued his B Tech Civil Engineering, he also 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 and Chairman and Managing Director Jammu and Kashmir Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation.

Following assumption of his charge this morning, the Chief Secretary also took a round of the Secretariat campus and interacted with the employees working there. He asked them to feel free to bring their issues either directly to his office or to the General Administration Department (GAD).

He encouraged them to be forthcoming about all such issues so that these could be resolved on merit. He asked them about their work and allied facilities available to them or they wanted to have for smooth disbursement of their official business.

Dulloo even took note of the hygiene and renovation works going on in the Secretariat campus. He directed the concerned to upkeep the premises aesthetically so that both employees and visitors could have a pleasant experience.

During this visit the Chief Secretary was accompanied by Commissioner Secretary, GAD; Director Estates, Jammu besides other concerned civil and police officers.

The office bearers of different employees’ organisations in the Civil Secretariat welcomed Dulloo with bouquets on his first day in office.

Several other delegations also called on him; extended greetings by wishing him a successful tenure and apprised him of their issues.

Notably, Dulloo is starting his inning on a very positive note as regional mainstream political parties, mainly those from opposition camp, employees and people in general have reacted very enthusiastically to his appointment as the head of bureaucracy in J&K. They are pinning great hopes on him vis-à-vis redress to their grievances with empathy and better understanding, being son of the soil.