Shimla:
Shimla, Leader of the Opposition Jairam Thakur said that everything is running at the mercy of God in a government that is in a state of collapse. The government wants to run the system solely on the basis of acting officials, and the people of the state are suffering the consequences. The state lacks a permanent Director General of Police (DGP). The government is relying on a temporary, or acting, DGP. Similarly, the government failed to elect the head of the state bureaucracy and is planning to run the state solely on the basis of an acting DGP. The Forest Department is also acting. The Director of Excise and Taxation is also acting. The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission is also functioning under an acting head. The Chairman of the state’s leading Kangra Cooperative Bank is also acting. This is an endless cycle. In most places in the state, the government is trying to run the state by appointing officials of its convenience as acting officials. Ministers are trapped in the clutches of officials and are unable to free themselves from them. In the name of systemic change, a government that is on the path to systemic collapse cannot even appoint permanent officials? Even retired officers are being given increasingly high ranks. Won’t this impose an economic burden on the state? Won’t the people of the state have to pay the price for the government’s decision?
Jai Ram Thakur said that on one hand, the Chief Minister claims that he will no longer recruit new IAS, IPS, and IFS officers from the center. This year, when asked by the central government, he had written that he did not want any new officers. The government and its allies promoted this as a masterstroke in cutting the state’s financial expenses. The government touted this absurd decision as a major reform. It was labeled a systemic change and historic. However, this government’s charade was exposed within a short time when the Sukhu government granted two-year extensions or reappointments to several officers who had been working to the government’s advantage. Some of these officers were later found to be so tainted that the Honorable High Court had to order that they should not be assigned any responsible tasks. The people of the state are witnessing and understanding the conduct of many other officers. Officers with questionable conduct dominate this government. Or rather, they have the upper hand. Many MLAs and even some ministers are troubled by them. Why is this so? The people of the state want to know this. If new officers are a burden on the state’s economy, then the Chief Minister should also explain to the people why the government is using retired officers.
Jairam Thakur said that this trend did not stop there. The government subsequently wrestled with the extension of senior officers in the state. Despite guaranteeing them jobs, they failed to provide the youth of the state with lucrative jobs. However, officers are being given tenures up to 63.5 years. On one hand, the government cites the financial burden of hiring new officers in Himachal Pradesh, while on the other, it extends the service of officers with the highest rank and grade pay or otherwise attempts to accommodate them. On one hand, the government turns a blind eye to new IAS officers, while on the other hand, it cannot even get rid of the old ones. Some officers, who the Chief Minister once considered highly tainted, are now the ultimate authority. The people of the state want to know what compels the Chief Minister to remain untouched by them. We had already warned the Chief Minister that the path he was taking and the path the officials were leading him on would be very difficult for him to turn back. Our words are proving true.
