Working fear

In ordinary times reshuffles and transfers in ministries rarely raise eyebrows, but these are clearly not normal times for babus. In the aftermath of the 2G scam and the Anna Hazare movement, which have consumed some rather high-flying babu careers, fear stalks the babudom. The petroleum ministry is one ministry which, babu

watchers say, is always under scrutiny. Therefore, a recent reshuffle of a dozen under secretary-level officials handling crucial oil and gas issues has drawn considerable interest.
Ever since the Directorate General of HydroCarbons (DGH) came under cloud with its former chief V.K. Sibal being investigated by the CBI, babus in the ministry and at the DGH are unwilling to work for fear of being accused of irregularities. The current sense of disquiet, sources say, began earlier this year with the sudden exit of petroleum secretary S. Sundareshan. Officially, of course, things are just fine at the ministry.

***

Backlog pressure
Last month the government invited applications for the post of information commissioners at the Central Information Commission (CIC). But few know that the seemingly run-of-the-mill advertisement was the result of some frantic efforts by Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra. Increasingly worried about the growing number of vacancies at the top level and the government’s indifference to the situation, Mr Mishra wrote two missives to the Prime Minister’s Office warning that complacency would grievously hamper the commission’s functioning.
Mr Mishra’s concern was understandable. Currently, there are six information commissioners all of whom are overloaded with cases. While the CIC deals with an average of 300 cases per month, the government’s inability to appoint more information commissioners has resulted in a backlog of 17,000 cases.

***

Splitting definition
An IAS officer in Orissa, facing several charges of corruption, has taken on the Naveen Patnaik administration and set off a tizzy in government circles. According to sources, Prafulla Chandra Mishra recently wrote to the state chief secretary, B.K. Patnaik, challenging him on the government’s use of the word “chargesheet” against various IAS and IPS officers “to mislead the state Assembly”.
Mr Mishra, who is posted as commissioner of consolidation at the Board of Revenue in Cuttack, has alleged that the vigilance department has wrongfully used the word “chargesheet” when according to law only a magistrate can take cognisance of an offence. Mr Mishra informed his superior that the vigilance officials can at best file a report containing allegations against an official. It is not clear whether these legal subtleties will further Mr Mishra’s case with the judiciary.