Puneet Kumar Goel has been appointed as the new Manipur chief secretary in a bid to restore peace and facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes. The Union Cabinet’s appointments committee approved Goel’s inter-cadre deputation on the curtailment of central tenure. Manipur officials say the state has been relatively peaceful, but top government functionaries were unhappy with Kumar, leading to his transfer within seven months. Talks are underway to restore peace, with plans to shift some displaced people back to their homes. The state has been under the president’s rule since February, when N Biren Singh resigned as chief minister. Issues between Naga and Kukis in some villages over the construction of a road have persisted, and the government felt the state needed a new man to oversee these matters.
Puneet Kumar Goel was appointed as Manipur’s top bureaucrat in an effort to restore peace
