Overheard In Bhopal: Upset Officer, Soured Relations, Posts And Polls & More

My way, no highway

A retired Sahib in the state has got in the way of a major road project. As the Sahib is losing his plot of land, he is opposed to the scheme. He made all efforts to stop the project, but he did not succeed. Now that his attempts to change the design of the project have also fallen through, he is creating an atmosphere at different levels to block the scheme.

Sahib says the project has been wrongly sketched. He is also circulating a narrative that the road project is being carried out to benefit a few people. His purpose is to convince the higher-ups in the government, that the project is swept under the carpet, and that the land for it is not acquired.  The government has, however, stuck to its guns, and the work is set to start.

Who’s the guy?

An officer posted to the Centre on deputation has failed to understand who has put up a blockade in the way of his getting an important position he is vying for in the state. The extension of services of a woman officer may have disappointed him, but he has not lost all hopes. Sahib still wants the government to send him back to Madhya Pradesh after the Lok Sabha election.

When the assembly election was over, it was thought that he would return to the state as head of the administration. The officer was also confident of coming back to the state after the BJP’s return to power. The Central Government was also not against relieving him. But the problem with this officer is that the Centre cannot offer him the position he is aspiring for without the nod of the state government which is not keen on sending his name to Delhi for the top job. Despite the extension of services given to Madam, there will be a lot of flurries over this important post after the election.

Upset officer

A senior bureaucrat is not happy with his posting. Before the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct for the Lok Sabha election he had tried for posting in an important department. He spared no efforts to get this position, but his attempts failed. On the other hand, many of his colleagues changed their places of posting through their clout.

After the formation of the government, the officer thought that he would be sent to the loop line. Because there were no negative reports about him, he yearned for a plum posting, and tried his best for it, but his attempts went belly up. Sahib is getting ready for posting in an important department after the election. He is in touch with some powerful people in the government to get an important department after the election.

Posts and polls

A principal secretary (PS)-rank officer will get a plum posting immediately after the Lok Sabha election. Despite his best efforts, Sahib was not transferred because of the position he is holding now. During the tenure of the previous government, he did a lot of work according to the wishes of the head. There has never been any dispute between the two on any issue, and, because of his good relations with the boss, the government wanted to hand an important position to the PS.

The Lok Sabha election came in the way of the government’s plan to do that. But now, it has been decided that he will be sent to an important department immediately after the election. Sahib, who maintains a low profile, is also known for his gentleness in the corridors of power, and does not have any ambition. It is also true that he wants to give up on the position he is holding now, after the election.

Soured relations

Cracks have appeared in the relation between two senior bureaucrats in the state. One of them was posted in an important department from where he was shifted to another place after the change of government. Another officer was transferred to the department to take care of it. Before leaving the department, the officer had committed many irregularities, and left some underhand deals that could not be done because of the Model Code of Conduct for the assembly election.

The officer told the newcomer to get those deals done. The person, whose work was to be done, was told to meet the new incumbent who is also a smart guy. The new incumbent changed many decisions of his colleague. Those decisions were related to the deals that the officer had asked him to settle. The new incumbent is working in his own way, but the previous officer of the department is unhappy with his behaviour. Now, Sahib is waiting for an opportunity to settle the score.

Re Bande Samay Bada Balwan

Nobody knows what lies in the womb of time, because it is too hard a knot to untie. This is what a senior leader of the Congress must have realised in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election. A collector who used to bend down before this leader is now frowning upon him. This collector has been posted in the home district of this leader. Manny election-related plans of the BJP are being operated at the residence of this officer who is working as a BJP worker.

The collector often terrorises the Congress workers. On the contrary, the orders of the BJP leaders are quickly carried out. Once when the Congress was in power, the officer was involved in a scam. This Congress leader had saved him on the recommendations of another leader of the party. Now, the collector does not give any importance to this leader. When the collector was posted in the district, he was told that there should not be any problem in the election. The officer is carrying out the orders of his political masters.