The impermanence of being Sanjiv

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, the whistle-blower Indian Forest Service officer, who has been in the news for his numerous run-ins with the bureaucracy, will be — once again — packing his bags soon. The Centre has turned down his 16-month-old request for deputation with the Delhi government. Though Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is still trying to get Mr Chaturvedi to stay in Delhi, the Centre’s decision now means that Mr Chaturvedi will return to Uttarakhand, his cadre state.

It’s been a hard few years for Mr Chaturvedi who had bravely exposed irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in Haryana and fallen afoul of the then Congress government of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. After much struggle he finally managed to come to the Centre on deputation as chief vigilance officer at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). But this time too Mr Chaturvedi again found himself sidelined by the authorities when he highlighted some corrupt practices in the premier institution. He certainly tried to stick to his cause.

The Centre’s decision seems to have closed the door on Mr Chaturvedi’s attempt to stay in Delhi.

The unpredictable Fadnavis Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis does not only keep his ministers on their toes, but even the state bureaucracy is in a state of constant nervousness. Just as his recent Cabinet reshuffle raised hackles in certain affected quarters, the abrupt decision to transfer 2002-batch IAS officer Pravin Gedam from Nashik, where he was municipal commissioner.

Sources say that Mr Fadnavis gave in to political pressure because Mr Gedam had acted firmly against illegal constructions and also some corrupt civic officials. Apparently, Mr Gedam’s ouster has created a lot of discontent among the bureaucrats as they feel that babus are increasingly being transferred for reasons other than their work.

Meanwhile there are going to be new faces in the chief minister’s office (CMO) too. Mr Fadnavis is looking for replacements for two senior officials who have been inducted into the IAS cadre and will soon move out. However, sources say that Vivek Bhimanwar and Rajesh Narvekar, the two departing babus, will stay on until their successors are appointed.

Discontented in Karnataka The suicides of two DSP-rank police officers in Karnataka within a span of 48 hours, has jolted the state government. This was preceded by the resignation of a woman police officer who alleged harassment. Although the signs have been apparent for some time now, the Siddaramaiah government let matters escalate to what is now a deep crisis in the state administration.

While IAS officers have been grumbling about political interference at various levels, the suicides by senior cops are seen as the last straw. The spotlight on cops has again brought a former IPS officer and adviser to home minister G. Parameshwara back in the news. Kempaiah, the officer, has been controversial and, reportedly, even the home minister has written to ask for his removal. But the ex-cop enjoys the confidence of the chief minister. His proximity to Mr Siddaramaiah is what has restrained the top brass in the bureaucracy from speaking up against interference. Also his past reputation as a “tough cop” who captured the dreaded forest brigand Veerappan. But with so much unrest simmering below the surface, the state government will now need to act fast to curb the discontent among the IAS and IPS cadres in Karnataka.

Love them, hate them ignore them at national peril, is the babu guarantee and Dilip’s belief. Share significant babu escapades dilipcherian@hotmail.com