When it comes to transfer of babus, particularly the punitive variant, whether coming from the government side or effected under pressure from opposition parties, the official concerned gets to know about it much before the issue of transfer orders. Senior IPS officers have begun to feel the negative fallout of the Munugode bypoll, with the Bharatiya Janata Party writing to the Election Commission of India against allowing Mahesh Bhagwat to continue as Rachakonda Commissioner of Police. A little bird told us that the Commissioner of Police saw this coming. Even otherwise, he had been waiting for reshuffle for long. Bureaucratic circles were discussing why, given the very small operational area under Mahesh Bhagwat, he may not be moved, and, of course, there were others who were sure he would be moved. Officials are also discussing how transfers are imminent, especially at the levels of Collectors and SPs, in view of the elections next year.
Speak the language of citizens
A week ago Telangana Minister K T Rama Rao nudged Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar and IAS officer Prateek Jain to speak in Telugu. Prateek, known to be learning Telugu, has made audible progress, while Arvind continues to be his usual best, alternating quickly from English to Telugu. A week later Minister K T Rama Rao wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Hindi imposition and the importance of promoting regional languages. KTR fondly hopes that all Additional Collectors – Local Bodies speak in Telugu and reach out to citizens only in the language they can understand.
At KBR Park or chakravyuh
Former TS chief secretary Dr S K Joshi has termed the KBR Park and its environs as chakravyuh, given the fact that navigating the traffic in the area is akin to finding one’s way through an impregnable battle-array. The KBR roundabout has started reminding us of the Mahabharata’s chakravyuh, where once you enter, every few hundred meters a signal light draws attention to the perils of being on that stretch of the road. He hoped that his idea on KBR traffic is considered as signals around KBR circle are becoming a big bottle-neck. Many cities have successfully converted such circles into a one-way roundabout for improving traffic. “Don’t reject upfront.
Any takers of the idea?”, he tweeted. For newbies, KBR Park is one of the favourite hotspots for bureaucrats out on a morning walk or jog. Many officials are in agreement with Joshi’s thoughts on de-complicating the traffic needs of the area.
Trusted babus underpin free and fair polls
IAS and IPS officers, as their designation suggests, are (and expected to be) seen as officers representing All India Services, without being tied down to any region where they happen to be posted. However, when aberrations creep in Centre-State relations, rival politicians in power may begin to see the utility of AIS officials in terms of their level of compliance.
So, pliant babus are insulated from complaints, while the honesty of others is questioned.These days, parties approach the election authorities with complaints against bureaucrats, especially those who are unbending.
This is attributed to some bureaucrats bending over backwards to act according to the wishes of the Centre or the state government as the case may be.In the ongoing political tug-of-war in the Munugode Assembly bye-election, the BJP, being in power at the Centre, has complained against certain bureaucrats working in the constituency. The BJP has alleged that the state government is misusing its powers and making sure that some of the officials work only as per the orders of the TRS government.
The BJP has asked the Election Commission to depute central forces and observers to conduct a free and fair by-election. The larger question is: How can babus function independently when netas see them through the prism of their pliability, regardless of the requirements of proper administration? Trust begets trust and confidence levels are high in areas where there is no trust deficit. It is wrong to presume that officials working in the state belong to the Telangana Rashtra Samiti or that officials deputed by the Centre are invariably going to work for the BJP. When political parties do not have confidence in bureaucrats, how can they expect free and fair election?
