Overheard in Bhopal: An officer in love and darkness under the lamp

Foul is fair

A Principal Secretary (PS), adept at making brass, imparts others the lessons of honesty. The officer has mastered the art of getting his work done by fair means or foul. He bullies others into giving him the dough made through double-dealings, but remains out of harm’s way, since he is close to the higher-ups. The bureaucrat has recently rented out a big property of his to an office related to the department he heads. The PS has a lot of properties in two big cities in the state, besides he possesses benami plots of land. The officer is working on a big project, and its outcome can soon be seen. He is so clever that he has turned all the black money into white by showing it as income of his wife. Sahib is an expert at maintaining good relations with politicians and senior officers. Ergo, whosoever rules the state, he remains at the helm of affairs.  

Officer in love 

Love stories about a senior IAS officer are doing the rounds in the corridors of power. Sahib leaves office early; but, instead of going home, he visits the residence of a female colleague who is looking after the work of a department functioning under the senior officer. The officer has been in touch with his female colleague for a long time, but now, both of them are getting closer to each other. Many officers know about their proximity. Their affair has occasioned domestic discords, since the family members of the officer are aware of it. It is not for the first time that Sahib is lovey-dovey with a female colleague. On an earlier occasion, he befriended a lady confrere. Such stories, however, do not bother the officer who possesses a different persona from others. 

Ensuing election

- Yet, nobody knows which party he is going to join. The Sahib is on good terms with the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as with the Congress. He has been given important postings during the rule of both the parties, but the officer’s recent pouts indicate that he may not go with the ruling dispensation. He has worked as collector in many districts, but his colleagues consider him to be more popular in the Mahakaushal region than he has been in other places. Now, everyone is keeping an eye on the steps the Sahib is going to take.

Darkness under the lamp

A Principal Secretary, heading a department that dishes out happiness, is one of the highly despondent officers these days. He has not been given any important posting for a long time. Whether it is the rule of the BJP or that of the Congress, he has always been in the loop line.  Ergo, even if the government changes, his getting an important position is an outside chance. Whenever a list of transfers is prepared, posting him to an important department is not even considered. He has spared no effort to get an important assignment, but success has always eluded him. Being ignored for a long time, he has fallen prey to frustration. For that reason, he has opted for such methods as keep him away from weariness. Seeing the condition of the PS, a powerful officer of the same rank is trying to help him out of this situation. Now, it is to be seen whether Lady Luck smiles on him.

Sahib sidelined

A retired officer, after being rehabilitated, thought he would get a lot of importance in the government and made some plans accordingly. But everything is happening otherwise. The government has not seriously taken any of the suggestions put up by the retired officer who has tried to discuss the issue separately with the Chief Minister, but he was not given time for that. The officer, who showed his activeness immediately after rehabilitation, is maintaining a low profile these days. Although Sahib wanted a more important position than the one he is holding now, initially, he showed a lot of interest in work. Nevertheless, he is unable to appreciate the reasons for his getting less importance than he deserves. Despite this, he is spending government money that a department is paying. 

Longing for better posting

A divisional commissioner is trying to get posting to another place. He wants to get an important department in the state capital or a posting in a more important division than the one he is in. The government recently posted commissioners to two important divisions, but Sahib's name was not considered. Nonetheless, the division, in which the Sahib is posted, is very important from the government’s point of view. This is the reason that he has been posted there. But since the officer has spent a lot of time there, he wants to go to some other place. The Sahib was keen to get an important position a few months ago, and there were possibilities of his getting that post, but that did not happen. The government might make some administrative reshuffles before the election. Ergo, the Sahib yearns for a more important position than the one he is holding. Although the Sahib is on good terms with the higher-ups in the ruling dispensation, the reasons for his not getting an important position, he craves for, are not known.