Himachal Confidential

With bureaucratic transfers being suddenly put on hold last week,a lot of anxious IAS and HAS officers were discussing the possible reasons for it.

Uncertain bureaucrats
With bureaucratic transfers being suddenly put on hold last week,a lot of anxious IAS and HAS officers were discussing the possible reasons for it. A few of them believed that the BJPs proposed Nyaya rally on May 9 was a compelling reason because several incumbent DCs,SDMs and regional transport officers were assisting the party and could not have been disturbed. Others said the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) decided to wait for certain secret inputs on the impending changes. Reports now say changes are also being contemplated within the CMOs hierarchical setup. There are speculation that the CMs low-profile Private Secretary Vijay Chandan is moving out,paving way for Principal Secretary Bhim Sen.

Anand Sharmas tricks
How is that Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharmas trip to the hill state always runs parallel to that of top BJP leaders? Earlier,his visit clashed with former deputy prime minister L K Advanis. This time,he chose to overshadow BJP president Nitin Gadkari,who was here to address the partys Nayaya rally against the Centres bias against Himachal. Sharma,in fact,came with announcements and new sanctions worth Rs 300 crore apparently to turn the tables on Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal who rushed to Delhi on Saturday to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Sharmas biggest shot was to tell Dhumal to first convince Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal and Gujarat CM Narinder Modi to get Central Excise concessions restored for the industry,before talking to the PM. Both,he says,are opposed to the extension of the industrial package to Himachal.

Pat for Dhumal
BJP president Nitin Gadkari showered praises on the Dhumal government. During his presentation on the economics behind the price rise and inflation,he asked the Central government to learn from the BJP government in Himachal. He referred to Himachals subsidy-based polyhouse and micro-irrigation schemes,besides the Doodh Ganga scheme designed for the rural masses. Insiders say Gakari has recently reviewed the performance of the BJP-ruled states by roping in management and IIT students. The schemes implemented by Himachal have been rated very high, said Gadkari. Being a management professional himself,the BJP chief can surely be politically correct.

All in Gadkaris praise
At the Nyaya rally organised by the BJP on Nitin Gadkaris first visit to the state,while introducing the party chief,Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal emphasised on his surname,Gadkari a Marathi word that means a person,a warrior commanding a bunker (of BJP). Forest Minister Jagat Pradesh Nadda,who is now the national general secretary of the party,spent five minutes to explain the BJP presidents role in farmers cooperative movement,calling him a man with social commitments. Veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar termed him a highly inspiring personality who is making a mark in the countrys politics.

The state of plastic-free hill state
SPEAKING ATthe BJPs Nyaya rally on Sunday,Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal boasted of the Himachal Pradesh governments initiative to ban plastic in the state. But as the rally ended,its venue the sprawling Chaura Maidan looked like a virtual dumping yard for empty plastic bottles and non-biodegradable waste.

HIMACHAL PRADESHclaims to be one of the few states that have successfully enforced the ban on polythene carry bags. Littering,use and sale of such bags in the state is banned and attracts huge penalties and punitive actions. However,the BJP in all its enthusiasm for the rally supplied packed plastic water bottles to the party workers in the rally,but forgot to advise them to dump the waste bottles at a common place or make arrangement for one. As a result,the moment the rally ended and crowd started leaving the venue,the entire Chaura Maidan had plastic bottles strewn all over. Party sources said nearly 30,000 bottles were bought at the rally site and the stock was fully consumed.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONstaff was finally sent in the evening to clean up the area and collect the bottles for safe disposal. None of the BJP leaders came on record to admit the lapse,though a few did admit that no one realised how much damage it could cause to the states stand on environment issues.Lalit kumar

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
city