Key Portfolios Stripped from ACS Omkar Chand Sharma; Now Limited to Tribal Development
Omkar Chand Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary Himachal Pradesh
Shimla, 16 June – The Himachal Pradesh government has removed senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary Omkar Chand Sharma from all major departments, confining his responsibilities to the Department of Tribal Development only.
The move follows a sensitive inquiry that Sharma conducted—at the government’s direction—into the death by suicide of Vimal Negi, Chief Engineer of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL). After Sharma filed an affidavit in the High Court, the government placed him, the then‑DGP, and the Shimla SP on leave, assigning Sharma’s portfolios to three other IAS officers in the interim.
According to a fresh order from the Department of Personnel, Sharma has now been formally relieved of the Home, Revenue, Forest, Vigilance, and Appeals departments. Those portfolios have been transferred to Kamlesh Kumar Pant (IAS, 1993 batch), who has also been appointed Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Sharma will henceforth manage only Tribal Development.
Additional Reassignment Linked to HPPCL Case
In a related development, former HPPCL Managing Director Harikesh Meena—currently on interim bail in the Vimal Negi matter—has been posted as Special Secretary, Youth Services & Sports. Meena was named in a complaint filed by Negi’s widow, alleging mental harassment. Both Meena and suspended HPPCL Director (Electrical) Desh Raj remain under CBI investigation.
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