OFF THE RECORD review on some of today’s headlines…
1. Transport Department’s woes…
MSRTC’s one deputed tp Centre MD due to some bitter experiences with the department’s top bosses had gone for compulsory leave, alleged insiders. Secondly, there is no full time Transport Commissioner after Dr. Pravin Gedam went on deputation. Touts, hand in glove with the officials in RTO, are making merry because of no control over department. Thirdly, Maharashtra Maritime Board does not have a full time boss. Vikram Kumar, who is the Joint CEO of MIDC is also holding MMB’s additional charge as it’s CEO. With ports development along with Wadhva’s entry in the field and his investments at Sindhudurg, my views is that MMB should have a full time CEO. Now the whole pressure has come on department’s Principal Secretary Manoj Saunik who is also busy in spreading his brainchild “No Horn” campaign. So will a Principal Secretary hold his nerve of managing these 3 department’s and also gain control seems to be an interesting preposition to watch out for… By the way, many cars belonging to the IAS fraternity are often spotted with this black sticker on bottom of their bumpers promoting No Honking.
2. My thoughts on IAS…
Number 1. They should NOT be hungry as wolves for grabbing position’s which is meant for junior batch holders. There are so many examples to site wherein an officer of senior batch has gone out of the way, used his clout to grab a position which was held by an officer who was some 10 to 12 batch junior. Second- in my views, I’m also contemplating to file a writ petition, ALL PROMOTEE’s should be sent outside their parent state when they become IAS. They begin their career as Deputy Collector’s and majority of them know what is happening in the state–in the sense who is powerful politically, who are the biggest agents/liasioner’s of Mantralaya and so on… From the very beginning they catch hold of this powerful political person based on either caste or relations. When they become IAS then with the help of this lobby, these promotee bureaucrats just rake in money with no control. By the way, maximum people who are promotee you will find have served the Chief Minister as their Private Secretaries…Now those who are from cadre are obviously given side postings, sometimes bogus postings as these newly acquired IAS tagged promotee’s occupy prime chairs using the same political clout whom they knew since years. Then one of them becomes a money eating shark who gets married to one of the daughter of leader of opposition or picks bags of Pawar’s and for the rest of the life is around Mumbai Pune or at the most Satara…By the way, even in case of cadre, if the “lobby” deems fit, a junior becomes Secretary whilst the senior is some where on the ground floor of Mantralaya reaching the venue on time before the junior and powerful IAS walks in…
Vikrant Joshi
