Overheard In Bhopal: IAS Officer Wrongly Transferred, Raids By Central Probe Agency Continues

Blue-eyed boys

The government is giving importance to two senior IAS officers. The head of the state, as well as the head of the administration, likes both. The government accepts the opinions of one of the officers. He gives his views on the functioning of other departments, too. He has been close to several chief ministers. The officer has become intimate to the government and the head of the administration. The other officer is in the same situation. Many activities are underway in his department. He is close to the government as well as to the head of the state administration. The officer gets everything done through the government for the welfare of the departments working under him. People in the corridors of power chinwag about the importance they are getting from the government.

Set to return

A principal secretary (PS) is set to return to the mainstream administration. He has been in the loop line for a long time. The higher-ups have proposed for posting outside the government. This position is not very important. Still, it is better than his present place of posting. He, however, has no work in the department. The officer is ready to go anywhere. The government may send him to any department in case he fails to get the position proposed for him. He has spent most of the time of his career outside the mainstream administration. The government never thought of sending him to any department. The government wants to utilise his talents. The government, the chief minister, and the chief secretary have changed in the past few years. Yet, the officer has remained in the loop line. He is passing through a difficult phase. The government wants to give him some relief.

In panic

The raids conducted by a central probe agency have sparked panic among some people in the state. The agency conducted raids on the business and residential premises of some people. They work for an important department. The agency seized many documents during the raids. They provide evidence about the irregularities in the department. The name of a retired officer has cropped up in one of the documents. The Sahib has links with an officer of the department. The papers the agency found at the residence of another person indicated that the Sahib had taken carrots. If it delves into the documents, the agency may find many other irregularities. But these people have begun to save their skin. The officer is close to many people in the corridors of power. He is working hard to avoid any problem caused by the raids. On the other hand, many officers of the department have become active against him.

Efforts for posting

A secretary-rank officer is making all efforts for his transfer. He is using his clout in politics, as well as in administration for this purpose. He is not in Mantralaya. Yet, he often meets the officers in Mantralay on some pretext or other with a request for transfer. He is not on friendly terms with the minister and the principal secretary (PS) of the department where he is working. Because he is at odds with the principal secretary, both talk only about work. Their bitterness also manifests in the remarks they put in files. Sahib has been trying to go to another department for a long time. He has contacted many people for this. The PS and other officers of the department also want his transfer. Yet, his efforts fall through. His name is always struck off the transfer list.

Wrong transfer

Many people feel the government has wrongly transferred a IAS and his wife. The man is working for an important department, which is important but controversial. There are no charges against him. But the madam courted controversies during her previous postings. But the woman is in the department relating to her husband’s place of work. The files the officer handles go to his wife. Many people take an interest in the department. The politicians often go there for work. Many people concerned with the department have to go to the officer and his wife. The Sahib disposes of the files. But they pile up on the madam’s table. People in the corridors feel lest there should crop up a scam in the department. They are collecting information about it.

Money to be returned

An officer has to return the money to a supplier. The Sahib took some backhanders from a supplier to get his work done. He thought the higher-ups would approve of whatever he had written in the files. But the officer was not lucky. His bosses changed the proposals he had sent to them. The Sahib failed to help the supplier the way he had wished. But the higher-ups in the government turned down his requests. The Sahib has to return the money. The officer is trying to avoid the supplier. But he is also not ready to forgo the money. The Sahib has begun to speak ill about those who rejected his proposals.

Published on: Monday, May 05, 2025, 10:46 AM IST