Why Leena Nandan is getting stuck with a Commonwealth Games post?

Leena Nandan (File Photo)

Delhi Commonwealth Games was over one and half years ago, but a few officers have failed to come out of it, for one reason or the other. On April 17, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister, has approved the extension of Leena Nandan, a 1987 batch UP cadre IAS “as Project Director of the Host Broadcaster Team (HBT) Commonwealth Games, 2010 in Doordarshan for a period up to May 31, 2012”. The ACC order itself said it was “a special case”, but did not mention why an extension was required for an officer who came on a Central deputation in November, 2004. A number of officers working in Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games, 2010, had to continue with their posts even after the Games were over, and that too for months with no work, but they finally managed escape routes.

Is Ms Nandan getting stuck because...

CBI has been investigating the ex-Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli in connection with allegations of corruption while awarding broadcasting rights of Commonwealth Games, 2010? According to PM-appointed Shunglu committee that submitted its report over a year ago recommended action against Lalli and then Doordarshan DG Aruna Sharma for their alleged roles in granting CWG broadcasting rights to UK-based SIS Live causing an estimated Rs 135-crore loss to the exchequer. Ms Sharma, a 1982 batch MP cadre IAS, was however repatriated to her parent cadre.

Ms Nandan’s official records in DoPT do not mention her Commonwealth tag and call her project director, Host Broadcaster Team in DD at a joint secretary level. But her ACC order notes she is “Project Director of the Host Broadcaster Team (HBT) Commonwealth Games, 2010 in Doordarshan”. 

Earlier, she was director, and then joint secretary in the ministry of tourism before taking up this job under the ministry of information and broadcasting in November 2009. Ms Nandan is a post graduate in development management from Philippines.

Action and Appointments

a) The government has approved the premature repatriation of Dev Raj Dev, a 1999 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS, from Bihar to Tamil Nadu. The order passed on April 17, 2012 said it would be effective from December 23, 2011.