Lucknownama

Maya & Swami

A move to allot over three hectares of prime land close to Sangam in Allahabad to a Rishikesh-based trust is the subject of much interest in political circles. The vice-chairman of Allahabad Development Authority and Divisional Commissioner of Allahabad have recommended transfer of the land on 30 years lease to Indian Heritage Research Foundation,which is controlled by Parmarth Niketan. Among the trustees of Parmarth Niketan is Swami Chinmayanand,who was Union Minister of State for Home during the NDA government. Opposition parties see an attempt by the ruling BSP to finetune its relations with the Sangh Parivar ahead of the 2012 elections. After all,Mayawati had formed coalition governments with the BJP in the past.

Rank & file on move

In the new state government diary,which the Secretariat Administration Department has brought out,Panchayat Raj Minister Swami Prasad Maurya is placed second,immediately after Chief Minister Mayawati,in the council of ministers. Last year,Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma occupied this place,while Maurya was at number five. Now,with Maurya moving up,Verma,Naseemuddin Siddiqui,Ramvir Upadhyay and Indrajeet Saroj have all moved one place down in the ministerial hierarchy. Maurya may not be as powerful as some of these ministers,but he is president of the state BSP. Apparently,his position in the council of ministers has been changed to keep it in line with his status in the ruling BSP.

Between the orders

Last week saw the transfer of Mahoba District Magistrate Vijay Vishwas Pant to Banda,and then the cancellation of the order within 72 hours. Pant is one of the very few officers who has managed to stay for about two-and-a-half years in a district,that too Mahoba which along with neighbouring Banda,is regarded as a political hot seat for bureaucrats. Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Babu Singh Kushwaha,the two most powerful ministers,hail from Banda and Mahoba,which are part of Bundelkhand region. The rivalry between the two ministers for control of the region is a public secret. The shifting of Pant from Mahoba to Banda had,therefore,sparked speculation about the politics behind it. Perhaps,realising this,the government promptly cancelled Pant’s transfer.

All bets on Brij Lal

The government has appointed 11 IPS officers as special directors general,although there were no cadre posts. The beneficiaries include 10 of the 11 officers of the 1977 batch and one officer of the 1976 batch. IPS officers believe that the decision is meant to facilitate promotion of ADG (Law and Order) Brij Lal as DGP when Karamvir Singh retires on August 24. Brij Lal is tenth in the order of seniority among the 11 special DGs,but he is regarded as the strongest contender. He has been ADG of Crime,Law and Order,ATS and STF since Mayawati took over as Chief Minister in May 2007.

CM’s sports spirit

For UP sportspersons who had won medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games,the wait for the state’s cash awards will soon end. Chief Minister Mayawati will honour them in Lucknow on January 28,according to Deputy Director of Sports AK Banoda. Allahabad gymnast Ashish Kumar,who won medals in both games,said he had got a call from a sports official,inviting him to reach Lucknow on January 27 when the chief secretary will host a dinner. “I was told that hotel rooms have been booked for our stay,” said Ashish.