TALK about the concentration of power, and the prime example would be available right here, right now. From 90 ministers, 250-odd assistants and a chief minister, the authority of India’s most populous state is now vested with the gang of four: The principal secretary to Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri and three secretaries.With each secretary in charge of nearly 30 government departments each, the files are piling up at Shastri Bhawan, the centre of power in Uttar Pradesh. But Ravindra Singh, the seniormost of the three secretaries, denies there’s been any drastic change in the functioning of the government. ‘‘There’s no difference between President’s rule and an administration run by an elected government. The governor generally avoids taking major policy decisions — though he is empowered to — but that is not something that affects the common man,’’ he says. THE GANG OF FOUR Principal Secretary Shambhu Nath Singh: An IAS officer of the 1970 batch,he has been in key posts as heads of housing, forest, planning and revenuedepartments. Right now, he says, ‘‘overcoming the power problemis a priority. The governor has given the UP Power Corporation three monthsto improve’’. Secretary Ravindra Singh: An IAS officer of 1979 batch, he has beenMD to UP State Road Transport Corporation and was also D-G, Tourism. Aboutthe new order, he says, ‘‘It’s true we do not receive therush of political leaders and their supporters these days. The positivefallout is the extra time we get for work’’. Secretary Rajeev Kapoor: An IAS officer of the 1984 batch, he, is cautiousabout commenting on the governor’s rule, maintaining it’s tooearly. Secretary V N Garg: He joined the IAS in 1980 and has held various importantassignments before assuming his present charge. He was commissioner, ruraldevelopment, MD, PCF, and staff officer of the UP chief secretary. (Thisofficer refused to talk to The Sunday Express, maintaining that they hadbeen told not to interact with the media.)In his assistants’ room, just across from his cabin, though, the difference is quite palpable. ‘‘Don’t expect too much from us. We’re here for just 10-15 days,’’ a man cuts short his long personal telephone conversation to tell this reporter. A computer assistant confesses that the terminals are used more to play games than speed up work. In fact, the only time things liven up is when Governor Shastri makes his entrance with military-like precision at 11 am. Over the next three hours, he is briefed by the gang of four on the jobs undertaken and the issues that need to be tackled on priority. ‘‘I have asked all the officers to dispose of work at the highest possible speed,’’ says Shastri in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Express. ‘‘I believe that I and a handful of others have to do the job of 90 people. But there should no compromise in the speedy disposal of files.’’ After a month in charge, Shastri still insists on a daily meeting with heads and other senior officials of important departments. But already, major problems are staring him in the face. State power stations cannot meet the daily demand (between 6500 and 6800 MW), but the National Thermal Power Corporation has refused to transfer electricity to the UP Power Corporation Ltd because of pending dues. Last week, the crisis climaxed as the entire state went without power for a day. ‘‘I will talk to senior authorities at NTPC to ensure they continue to supply power to the state,’’ says Shastri. ‘‘I have had a meeting with UPPCL officials and directed them to improve the state’s output too.’’ Shastri also has to clean up the financial mess the state finds itself in following the populist measures implemented during Rajnath Singh’s tenure as chief minister. He relaxed trade tax on 62 items and withdrew taxes altogether from 33 items, a move that cost the government nearly Rs 100 crore. Singh also implemented the Fifth Pay Commission recommendations for teachers, which put an additional burden of Rs 275 crore on the state exchequer. According to an estimate, the state needs nearly Rs 1,880 crore per month to pay salaries, pensions and repayment of dues. But the monthly revenue collection is pegged at Rs 750 crore. And though the state gets another Rs 850 crore from the Centre under grants and other heads, it has to overcome the deficit through the wage and means account, under which the state can access upto Rs 784 crore. Shastri, on his part, acknowledges that the problems on the fiscal front are many. ‘‘But we are taking step-by-step measures to cope with it,’’ he insists. While senior bureaucrats refuse to comment on the functioning of the present dispensation, they unanimously approve of the non-appointment of advisers to the governor. ‘‘The fewer the layers in the administration, the better it serves the purpose,’’ says a senior IAS officer. ‘‘Advisers always push their own agenda because they know they’re in the power game for a limited period.’’ Shastri, however, is not ruling out the appointment of advisers. ‘‘I have not asked for them, but I won’t oppose them either. They come from the Centre and I am in no position to comment on this issue,’’ he says. But this is not the only feel-good factor in this administration. Says Shashank Shekhar Singh, who was principal secretary to Romesh Bhandari, governor during two periods of President’s Rule, ‘‘The positive thing about Central rule is that its decisions don’t run into political heavy weather. But for that, the incumbent in the state’s highest seat should know he has ample time to carry out his policies’’. But neither the governor nor his gang of four believe they are here for anything longer than a limited period. ‘‘I have been asked to go on tours of the districts from the second week of April, and before that I want to be aware of the functioning of each department. I will ensure that the officers who work are rewarded and the corrupt are punished,’’ says Shastri. Incidentally, Shastri is continuing with the Jan Milan interaction-with-the-people programme, which successive chief ministers in the state have observed. In fact, in the first session, he heard the complaints of 833 people in just 55 minutes!
