Senior IAS officer Anil Kumar Singhal, considered to be the most favourite officer of Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was on Monday appointed as the new Executive Officer (EO) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
He would be replacing another senior IAS officer J Shyamala Rao, who had been holding the post since June 2024, soon after the formation of the TDP-led coalition government in the state.
Though Shyamala Rao, too, is considered a favourite officer of Naidu, there have been a lot of complaints against his style of functioning.
Apparently, he has not been able to gel with TTD trust board chairman and media baron B R Naidu, who took over a few months later.
So, after a lot of brainstorming, Naidu replaced Shyamala Rao with Singhal. Interestingly, Singhal had earlier served as TTD EO for a considerable period.
Known for his straightforward character and tough administration, Singhal first assumed the post in 2017 during the previous Chandrababu Naidu government.
At that time, there was some criticism that a non-Telugu, North Indian officer had been appointed. However, through his honesty and dedication, Singhal earned a good reputation within three years.
In 2020, he was transferred out of TTD. His reappointment now, again under Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, is being seen as significant.
Political circles opine that the government, which has been focusing on cleansing and reforming TTD administration, has brought Singhal back as part of that mission.
Along with this, the Andhra Pradesh government issued transfer orders for 11 IAS officers, including Ananta Ramu, Hari Jawaharlal, Kantilal Dande, Ch Sridhar, M T Krishna Babu, Saurabh Gaur and M K Meena.
