Baripada: Mayurbhanj Collector Vineet Bhardwaj, a 2012-batch IAS officer, said Friday he aspires to work for people and dispose of public grievance pleas at the earliest. Before joining civil service, he used work in the American Bureau of Shipping in Singapore between 2008 and 2010 after completing his degree in Naval Architecture.
Born to Shankar Singh and Indu Singh in Siwan district of Bihar, Vineet felt the urge to work for the people in the country and came back. After qualifying in the civil services examination, he joined as a probationer in Ganjam district. His was first posted as sub-collector of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district.
In an interview with Orissa POST, he said there is need for physical fitness for which he gets up at six in the morning and does some light exercises, runs on treadmill for an hour before breakfast and leaves for office at 10 am.
On being asked about people’s grievances, he said, “I work at the office whole day. First I hear people’s grievances since they come from remote villages. I instruct my officials concerned to take care of their problems. I talk to officials of various departments and review all developmental work. Post lunch, I check files on the table. In the evening, the files are reviewed at my official residence.”
What food of Baripada do you like?
People in the locality talk about ‘mutton and mudhi’, but I don’t take mudhi. I eat mutton. At breakfast, I like to have a variety of south Indian cuisine such as idli, sambar and upama. South Indian food is delicious and keeps me physically fit.
How do you spend your time with family?
I am the eldest child in my family. My sister Surabhi is doing her MBBS at Jamnagar (Gujarat). My wife is a doctor in New Delhi. I was transferred from Sundargarh three months back. My parents often come to stay with me here. My wife has not come here due to her busy work schedule. Although I cannot spare time for my family members, they have not complained about this.
What are your priorities in Mayurbhanj?
I have come to understand that people here are positive in their attitude. My aim is to ensure quality education. Teachers should pay attention to students who are not doing well. Teachers neglecting duty will face disciplinary action.
PNN