Finally, after a long struggle, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar has appointed DS Dhesi, a 1982-batch IAS officer, as the new Chief Secretary of the State. Dhesi will retire in 2019. In a way, he has a total of five years on hand. The administrative systems are being replaced slowly as another competent officer, Dr Dilip Singh, has also joined as Additional Chief Secretary and FCR, a No. 2 position in the bureaucratic hierarchy. PK Gupta, an outgoing Chief Secretary, tried hard to get an extension of three months. As per sources, his wife, Anuradha Gupta, also flew in from abroad to lobby for her husband but Khattar planned otherwise. He chose the roadmap of smooth governance and avoided the ad hocism. The selection of Dhesi was not an easy task, as Khattar has been approached by his followers, leaders and supporters regarding other competent candidates. Sources disclosed that Sanjiv Kaushal, a 1986-batch IAS officer and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, played a crucial role in the selection of the Chief Secretary. Kaushal and Dhesi had worked together as a team when Om Prakash Chautala was the Chief Minister. Dhesi is considered to be an expert in country and town planning as he has handled the department when he served the State in his earlier stint. Kaushal has a comfort level with Dhesi as compared to other aspirants for the post. Haryana observers say that Khattar does not have much experience of the administration and now the government will solely and completely be run by Kaushal, son-in-law of BS Ojha, former Chief Secretary of Haryana, Dhesi, and Khattar’s OSD, Jawahar Yadav. Wait and watch how the trio brings about change and development in the State.