Overheard In Bhopal: Plaint Against Sahib, Collectorship Refused, Officer In A Muddle & More

Plaint against Sahib

A complaint had been made to higher-ups in the government against the IAS officer who is trying to get a plum posting. The complaint made against the Sahib is related to some backhand deals in the department functioning under him. The Sahib demanded backhanders from a person for some work. The officer did not demand any huge amount, but the person from whom the officer sought the rake-off is connected with a senior leader. The person concerned informed the politician about it. The politician in turn informed a senior officer who took feedback on the matter. The officer was told off for demanding sweetener. Now, he is contacting the person from whom he demanded carrots.

The Sahib is trying to solve the issue. There are reports that the Sahib is presenting his clarifications before a prominent place of power. The Sahib fears lest the complaint should come in the way of his posting. The Sahib has received shocks on many occasions.

List of wrong deeds

A person who plays an important role in the government is getting a list prepared. The list contains an account of various works done in the past few days. The most important aspect of the list is that it also includes the information about how much sweetener each officer has taken for each work. There are whispers in the corridors of power that the list is being prepared following instructions from a higher authority. Help is sought from some people to prepare the list. The representatives of the companies working on some projects have also been questioned over backhand deals. Preliminary information about some departments has come to light. Once the list is prepared, what will happen to the officers involved in these deals is not known. But the axe may fall on some officers in the coming days. Those who are getting the list prepared are waiting for an opportune time.

Powerful PS

A principal secretary rank officer has subdued a woman minister of his department. The minister prepared a list of transfers and sent it to the PS. The officer returned the list to the min-ister, saying so many officials cannot be transferred from the department. The officer told the minister to prepare the list again and then send it to him. But when the list was sent to the PS, the officer sat over it. On the last day of transfer, when the minister put pressure on the PS, he issued a list containing the names of only six of-ficers. The transfer of only six officers has upset the minister. The officials, whose names the minister recommended for transfer, are making the rounds of his office. The officials of the department are discussing the issue. The minister looks helpless before the PS. The officer is the last word on almost all issues of the department. The minister wants to transfer the officer from the department by any means.

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Collectorship Refused

An IAS Officer does not generally decline to become a collector, but it occasionally happens as an exception. A female IAS officer recently refused to become the collector of a district. The government was mulling over appointing the officer as collector for the first time. But madam has declined the offer even before her posting. Madam had no interest in the district where she was being shifted as collector. She is posted in an important district, and her husband is posted in a neighbouring district. This is the reason that she does not want to become the collector of any faraway district, leaving her family. Her refusal to become a collector indicates that she wants to go to a district near her husband s place of posting.

The district where Madam is posted is treated as a power centre. Since she is posted in this place, it is considered that in her first posting as a col-lector, she will get an important district. In this episode, an AS officer has got the benefits. He has been posted as a collector.

Fifth Officer 

There are talks about the posting of a fifth officer to an office, which is a loop line to the officers, but important for the government. The officer posted in the office is set to return to the mainstream administration. The government is mulling over sending an officer posted in an unimportant department in place of him. Neverthe-less, for posting to this place an officer needs the approval of an important person. Thus, the Sahib is waiting for the approval of the important per-son. Once the important person gives his nod, the senior IAS officer will be transferred from there. But none of the officers can stay on this post for a long time. At the time of the government formation, a principal secretary (PS) was posted there. After a few days, the PS returned to the mainstream administration. The officer posted to the department in place of the PS was also shifted after some days. An officer posted there was shifted because of the anger of the higher-ups. Now, there are murmurs over the transfer of the officer working there.

In A Muddle

A conflict is going on amongst some people in a money-spinning department of the government. A man close to the minister of the department looks after the offhand deals. It is this person through whom the sweetener is collected.

Carrots are taken from the officers of the department every six months on the pattern of a recharge coupon. There are reports that certain disputes have occurred between an officer and the minister s agent. The officer posted there is parallelly collecting money, which has added to confusion. The relationship between the minister has soured over collecting carrots. As the officer is connected with higher-ups, he does not give much importance to the minister. In the depart-ment, the situation has come to such a pass that the officer and the minister are blaming each other for extortions. A wily officer of the department posted in a district is passing on the information to both the minister and the officer against each other.