Former chief secy Shankar passes away

Chennai: Former chief secretary of Tamil Nadu P Shankar passed away in Delhi on Sunday after a brief ailment. He was the 33rd chief secretary of Tamil Nadu.Chief minister M K Stalin, condoled the death of Shankar. "I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of Shankar. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family of Shankar," Stalin said in a release.Shankar, a 1966 batch IAS officer, was made the chief secretary by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in 2001. Before that, he was the petroleum secretary.He later resigned due to difference of opinion with Jayalalithaa and went back to Delhi where he was appointed as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner in 2002. Shankar started his career as the deputy collector in Cheyyar, in Tiruvannamalai district, and rose to prominence by serving as the secretary of Union planning commission.tnn