Navneet Sehgal: Bureaucrat With Experiments And Diplomacy, Who Ruled The Roost Of UP Bureaucracy

After an illustoures administrative carrer  Navneet Sehgal on 31st July retires from service. He is considered the top gun at the UP power corridors who knew how to run the administration in challenging times as well. Perhaps, Machieveili's thoughts of bravery and changeability in leadership are better emulated by Seghal in his long career in UP administration. Back In the time of 1990s-2000s, UP's political masters made the line between politics and bureaucracy blurred, and almost all the bureaucrats were gripped by political wills, politico-criminal nexus etc. In such situations, Navneet Sehgal's tactful diplomacy in maintaining professionalism in the bureaucrat-minister relationship while maintaining the pace of development and administration, especially during the time when developmental issues were quite a backburner issue and law and order issues were more frequent. It won't be incorrect to say that during the 90s, Sehgal was akin to a state pillar, which can hold the responsibility as heavy as possible. Such stature and diplomatic administrator made top political brass of UP use Sehgal as a weapon of last resort in troubleshooting critical issues. While he knew how to endure storms and strengthen his grip, he was also experimental, a top source say, "Wherever he was, he strived his best to experiment with new formulas and ideas to get the job done more efficiently and get to know new issues". The mixture of diplomatic and strategic skills with experimental vision makes him a man with a teflon-like reputation and with the capability to rule the roost of UP bureaucracy for a long time.