Cn & Heard

In a recent interaction with The Indian Express staff,Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regaled the gathering with interesting anecdotes from his career.

Not so bad
In a recent interaction with The Indian Express staff,Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regaled the gathering with interesting anecdotes from his career. He said once when he applied for visa to travel to the United States,he was interviewed by an over-officious employee of the US embassy. When he perfunctorily asked Badal if he had ever gone to prison,he replied in the affirmative. This shocked him,but he wasnt prepared for the next jolt. How long? asked the embassy employee.

Sixteen years,said Badal. The visa official nearly fainted at what he perceived to be the audacity of the gentleman. However,he was given the visa after the senior officials intervened.

Young and old
In another instance,the Chief Minister said in his long political career,he enjoyed several distinctions. For example,when he became the Chief Minister for the first time,he was the youngest CM in the country. But when he became the Chief Minister for the fourth time in 2007,he was the oldest CM in the country. Even today,he is the second oldest CM; his Kerala counterpart is senior to him,but only by a year.

Monkey trouble
As if the problem of rats was not enough,the Punjab Civil Secretariat is now grappling with the monkey menace. This week,the langoor squad had to be called in to drive away monkeys. Two-year-old Raju,a langoor at a monthly salary of Rs 3,500,was the hero of the operation. The secretariat staff is relieved,at least for now.

Job change
The Animal Husbandry department isnt a coveted department. But the newly-appointed Punjab Chief Secretary S C Agrawal has fond memories of his previous posting. Agrawal,who has held several important posts,including Principal Secretary,Industries,says this is the nature of the IAS. At one time,I was working with the Governor. There have been industries,animal husbandry et al. As an administrator,you are supposed to show your competence in all the posts you hold. In fact,a French acquaintance of his,whom he got to know during his stint with the Animal Husbandry department was quite disappointed at his new posting. He felt the officer was too talented to be wasted in the mundane bureaucracy of being a Chief Secretary,at a time when the colourful world of cows,buffaloes and hens merited his attention.

Stop fighting
After trying his best to end the ego spat between the Mayor and Municipal Commissioner,the UT Home Secretary finally succeeded in ending the controversy. Apparently,the officers understood that rather than wasting their time in settling personal scores,the welfare of the city was their priority. Even the top officials of the administration confirm that the MC,owing to its internal tussles,has failed to finalise any major project under the National Urban Renewal scheme.

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