Former Maharashtra FDA chief is new transport department head

MUMBAI: Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Mahesh Zagade is the new transport commissioner while additional chief secretary Sumit Mullick will head the state excise.
In a slew of transfers of senior IAS officials before the election code of conduct kicks in, the Maharashtra government appointed S S Sandhu as principal secretary (revenue).
Valsa Nair-Singh, who immediately went on a long leave after being appointed to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has now been appointed as secretary (tourism), while Jagdish Patil, who till now headed Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has been posted as Director General Information and Public Relations.
V Giriraj, who was heading water conservation, has been transferred to rural development department.