By L.S. Herdenia
BHOPAL:
Even before his ministry is in place chief minister Kamal Nath has taken
several important decisions. Besides waiving farmers’ loans, a massive
bureaucratic shake up has been effected. Out of 52 district Collectors 24 have
been given marching orders and many of them are believed to include officers
suspected of rendering help to BJP candidates. The affected officials include
48 IAS officers.
In the massive changes three days
after Nath took oath as CM, Manu Shrivastava – principal secretary new and
renewable energy and MD of Urja Vikas Nigam – has been given charge of
commercial tax department too. Some officers were relieved of additional charge
– the eye catcher being additional Chief Secretary Manoj Srivastava, who was a
day ago appointed VC of Sanchi University . He is left with animal husbandry
department alone in the new set up with additional charge of PEB.
Sources
in the secretarial said Shrivastava paid the price for being perceived as close
to the Sangh Parivar. Also, during BJP regime, he was embroiled in a
controversy involving former CM Digvijay Singh. Manoj Shrivastava was also
holding the charge of department of Culture and Secretary of Bharat Bhavan
Trust. Bharat Bhavan is the centre of cultural activities with huge budget.
Bharat Bhavan was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.
Manoj Shrivastava used to behave like the deputy chief of the RSS. There is no
doubt that he is a brilliant officer, knowledgeable and eminent author, but he
allowed himself to be totally identified with the ruling party.
Sources said that the CM is likely
to appoint a retired bureaucrat of Indian Audit and Account Services as OSD and
a retired bureaucrat of MP who had joined Congress in Punjab as administrative
adviser. Nath could appoint a senior journalist or retired officer as media
advisor.
The chief minister also decided to
dismiss elder men of local bodies. The government has the power to nominate
elder men in municipal corporations, municipal committees and nagar panchayats.
This order will affect more than 1000 BJP members who are serving in various
local bodies. The government has also decided to relieve members of advisory
committees which are attached to government colleges. There are reports that
the government may scrap the pension for those who were imprisoned during
emergency. They are called “MISA bandi” and are getting a monthly pension. The
government is also thinking in the terms of giving pension to farmers below
poverty line. The monthly amount may be Rs.1,000.
The government has also decided to
review appointments in the Makhanlal Chaturvedi Patrkarita Vishwavidyalaya.
This university was run as an RSS institution. In the past several
irregularities were committed in the university not only in the appointments
but also in several other heads.
Kamal Nath is in Delhi holding
consultations with the party high command about the formation of the ministry.
Besides giving regional representation the chief minister may also include
independents and SP and BSP MLAs in the ministry. There is every likelihood that
the new ministers may take oath before Christmas. Kamal Nath has given a broad
indication that first time MLAs may not get place in the ministry. (IPA Service)
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