Mines secretary Mahesh Dutt Ekka sacked

Hyderabad: Senior IAS officer Mahesh Dutt Ekka, working as principal secretary in the mines and geology department, was transferred on Friday. The state government directed Ekka to report to the general administration department (GAD) for further posting.

K. Surendra Mohan, who served as secretary to former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, has been appointed as Ekka's replacement. Surendra Mohan was transferred from Raj Bhavan in March and was not given any posting.

Ekka's sudden transfer created a buzz in bureaucratic circles. His transfer came a day after Chief Minister A. Revanth held a review meeting on the performance of revenue -earning departments including mines, where he reportedly expressed anger at a few officials for ignoring tax evasion and causing loss to the state exchequer.

The CM who reviewed the performance of commercial taxes, excise, stamps and registrations, mining departments at Secretariat on Thursday expressed displeasure over revenue earning departments not achieving revenue collection targets stipulated for previous fiscal 2023-24.

Sources said Revanth Reddy was angry with mining officials for failing to check illegal mining and transportation of sand. He warned officials of severe action if they show laxity in discharging duties.