While the administration has been widely rebuked for complacency in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, a district magistrate in Tripura is in trouble for being overly enthusiastic in enforcing night curfew rules during a marriage in the state capital Agartala. A video that recorded the incident went viral on social media and political parties are gunning for him.
West Tripura District Magistrate Shailesh Kumar Yadav is in the dock for his purportedly arrogant behaviour with a bride and groom in the middle of a wedding ceremony. Angry citizens and politicians have written to Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb seeking strict action against Yadav. Some have even demanded an FIR against the official and sought his removal from service.
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In the viral video, Yadav was seen shoving attendees and arrested everyone for flouting Covid-19 norms and tearing up a permission certificate for the wedding that he himself had signed! Sources say that the CM has formed a committee of two IAS officers to probe the incident and submit a report to Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar for further action. Watch this space for updates.
Ad hocism rules the roost in J&K administration
If the change of status of Jammu and Kashmir was meant to have a positive impact on governance in the Union Territory, those hopes have been belied, many believe. Ad hocism has become an integral part of governance in Jammu and Kashmir as seen from the list of top bureaucrats and officials who are holding more than one post. To give just two examples, Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary Home, is also discharging responsibilities as Principal Secretary, Revenue Department and Financial Commissioner, Revenue. Similarly, Dheeraj Gupta, Principal Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department, is also holding additional assignment as Principal Resident Commissioner, J&K, New Delhi.
Sources say that as many as 10 IAS officers in the UT are holding additional charge of different departments and institutions due to a shortage of manpower in the higher echelons of the administration.
J&K has a stipulated strength of 137 IAS officers but only 58 are serving in the cadre, of which at least nine officers are on Central deputation. The Centre is apparently aware of the situation, and it recently moved to depute IAS and Group A service officers to the newly carved out Union Territory. But this seems to have done little to solve the problem which has afflicted governance for decades in J&K.
Ex-IAS officer to probe complaints against Haryana cops
Former Haryana Home Secretary and now retired IAS officer Navraj Sandhu has been appointed as Chairperson of the Haryana State Police Complaint Authority (PCA). In addition, retired IPS officer Kamleshwar Kumar Mishra and retired IAS officer Ramesh Chand Verma have been named as members of the authority.
Haryana is one among 17 states that set up the PCA to protect the citizens against abuse of police powers. It adjudicates allegations of improper or shoddy investigations, refusal to register FIRs, allegations of custodial torture and police high-handedness. However, it should be noted that the recommendation of the PCA are not binding on the state government – which makes the PCA merely a paper tiger.
For as long as five years, the government did not appoint a chairman even as the complaints piled up. Apparently, until 2019, the authority received 681 complaints, but it is not known how many were investigated and forwarded to the government for action. Hopefully, Sandhu’s appointment will make up for the lost time.
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