Dilli Ka Babu
High flying
At a time when the government has directed all ministries and departments to tighten their belts in order to contain the ballooning fiscal deficit, the ministry for civil aviation is reportedly planning to spend a whopping `84 lakh on civil aviation secretary Nasim Zaidi’s campaign to get elected as chairman of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Mr Zaidi, a 1976 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is retiring at the end of this month and the ICAO position is probably part of his post-retirement plan.
Mr Zaidi’s election campaign will take the babu to 36 cities across the world to canvass support for his candidature. But, sources say, Mr Zaidi’s plans fly in the face of the call for austerity in babudom. There is panic in some quarters that the ministry cannot afford to spend such vast sums of money on the babu’s poll drive. What happens next obviously deserves a close watch.
Maya’s legacy
The old order changeth? Not really. At least in Akhilesh Yadav’s Uttar Pradesh, bureaucrats, believed to be partial to the erstwhile Mayawati regime, still apparently wield tremendous clout despite Behenji’s exit from power. Certainly, observers say, enough clout to manage prime positions in what would be termed a “hostile” regime.
The Yadav junior’s stint as chief minister continues to be shaky, as pro-BSP babus are openly flouting his orders, causing much embarrassment to the newbie and Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. Recently the order to shut commercial establishments and shopping malls by 7 pm to save power was apparently issued without consulting Mr Akhilesh Yadav, though the order was withdrawn within 24 hours after a public outcry. Interestingly, a faction in the party has been blaming chief secretary Jawed Usmani for the situation. Mr Usmani, they allege, is a stickler for rules and refuses to consider the political aspects of the situation. Not a very happy situation for the young and ambitious chief minister.
Healing touch
The Andhra Pradesh government has promoted eight IPS officers of the 1987 batch to the post of additional director general of police (ADGP) from inspector general of police, seeking to end months of acrimony between the IAS and IPS fraternity in the state. Apparently, these officers’ promotions were due in April but the state government did nothing, citing “lack of vacancies”, even as it promoted their IAS counterparts to the rank of principal secretary.
The delayed move is meant to contain “bad blood” between the two services. With this round of promotions the number of IPS officers of the ADGP rank has risen to 31 from 23. According to sources, the government will need to create at least 15 more ex-cadre posts. But whether the delayed promotion will end the perennial IAS versus IPS rivalry is still hard to predict.
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