IAS OFFICER QUITS SERVICE TO JOIN SP

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday announced the induction of an IAS officer Tapendra Prasad into the party. Prasad ,a PCS officer of 1983 batch, was promoted to IAS rank in 2012.

Prasad, who still had six years of service, had taken voluntary retirement on April 16, 2013 to join the SP. Yadav lauded his administrative acumen and commitment to the downtrodden. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav also welcomed his entry into the party. However, when pointed out that special investigation team (SIT) had been probing a case of alleged bungling in UPSIDC during his tenure, Yadav said: “there is no such inquiry.” The chief minister also nodded in agreement. Yadav said when he had already lauded Prasad for his honesty there was no question of going back on it. Sources said an SIT inquiry was pending against several officers, including Prasad, for alleged irregularities in the land allotment in UPSIDC during the Mayawati regime.