In a major reshuffle of IAS officers, the Telangana government transferred GHMC chief Somesh Kumar to Tribal welfare department. The move created a flutter among IAS officers of the State and is being hugely debated.

According to the GO issued on Friday, 21 IAS officers were transferred based on their performance. The GO includes transfer of an IRS officer too.

Municipal administration commissioner and director B Janardhan Reddy will replace Somesh Kumar as GHMC commissioner and special officer. Sources say, the transfer is noteworthy in view of the Election Commission receiving complaints regarding tampering of voters' list in the GHMC jurisdiction. The EC is sending a team to Hyderabad to investigate. Also, Somesh Kumar is considered close to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. This fact has created unease among leaders of the ruling TRS and some opposition parties.

It is well known that Somesh Kumar was allotted to Andhra Pradesh in the distribution of IAS officers for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He had challenged the move in Central Administrative Tribunal and is continuing in Telangana.

Other notable transfers from the Friday's GO are Panchayati Raj principal secretary Raymond Peter has been moved to land administration. He will be replaced by SP Singh. GHMC special commissioner Navin Mittal, a long serving officer in GHMC, will be the new commissioner for Information and Public Relations.