Polite and poised, suave and soft-spoken yet endowed with a firm conviction and mellow autumnal administrative wisdom, a workaholic with a difference, Niranjan Sahu is currently the Collector and District Magistrate of Khordha. Earlier, he was Collector of Jharsuguda. He had joined the State administrative cadre, and after having climbed the hierarchical ladder, he was promoted to the IAS cadre. He believes that the institution of the Collectorate is sine qua non of the supremacy of the civil society and it should be strengthened against all odds for smooth and successful solutions of the problems of people. In an interview to The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury from his Bhubaneswar office.
What are the plans on your agenda to make your district go greenIJ
We are planning to make plantation in the district in a mission mode with active participation of students, teachers and PRI members. Saplings will be provided to people from the Forest Department and fruit bearing trees will be provided from the Horticulture Department under the National Horticulture Mission.
What are the concepts behind establishment of a Smart City like BhubaneswarIJ
Smart City is a new concept. Under the scheme, public transport system, IT development, green city, amusement parks will be developed. The city will not only define the things to the people, the people will also have the responsibility to maintain the city with their active participation and involvement.
It is alleged that in your district in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, labourers are substituted by machine through contractors and mafias. What’s your responseIJ
It is not a fact. Wherever anybody demands work, a job card is given and work is provided to them. Wherever there is any complaint of use of machine, immediate action is taken against the violators. It is not a fact that contractors are engaged in the programme. How can a contractor take up certain works when the wage amount gets transferred to the beneficiaries’ account onlineIJ Block-level and district-level vigilance and monitoring committees are actively monitoring such cases.
It is observed that empowerment of women in Khordha has ended in failure. The SHGs for women, despite using the resources for their development, lend it to vested interest groups at usurious rate of interest. What’s your opinionIJ
The SHGs are given assistance for self-employment under different schemes of different departments like PR Department, W&CD, ST&SC Development and H&UD. They utilise the amount and do activities for their livelihood and their economic upliftment. Many SHGs have done excellent work and got recognition in the State and outside. In a few instances of financial mismanagement of SHGs, we have not hesitated to take exemplary action.
It is often reported that the tankers carrying petrol and the tankers carrying kerosene are being adulterated somewhere in the Jatni area, where black-marketers, criminals are having their filed day. Police remain a silent spectator to the scene and people are affected as the PDS gets jeopardised. What steps are you going to take in this regardIJ
The kerosene black-marketing has been detected at Pitapalli near Jatni. But fact is that the PDS kerosene of different distributers to lift their quota from the Jatni depot and during its transit, the transporters make black-marketing. We have seized huge quantities of kerosene several times near Jatani and the seized kerosene has also been confiscated. DBT can provide a better solution to the issue.
There has been an unholy combination among millers, nodal officers of cooperative banks, secretaries of PACS, CSO, etc., in the paddy procurement programme. How do you think to nip the corruption in the budIJ
Paddy procurement in the district is done with adequate and comprehensive publicity and active participation of PRI members, members of PACS and farmers. The time, places and names of the paddy procurement centres are notified with wide publicity and farmers are encouraged to sell their paddy in the centres. The millers duly appointed by the district administration lift the paddy from the designated centres. Even the sharecroppers also sell their paddy in these centres with the consent of the landowners. The P-Pas system has started in six blocks where transactions are made online and there is no scope for manual interference.
Mafias and criminals are ruling the roost in the Niranjanpur area in the land belonging to lord Jagannath. What actions are on the anvil when police remain silent on the sceneIJ
In Niranjanpur, unauthorised extraction of laterite stones from Government land and land belonging to lord Jagannath is a painful reality which has been a year-old practice. Several cases have been booked against the culprits and mafias have been arrested. The Jatni Tehsildar has seized vehicles during his random raid. There were many instances that officers and staffs have been attacked during the raid. As per the OMMC Rules, 2004, officers not below the rank of SI of Police and Range Officer of Forest can seize a vehicle. It is not only the responsibility of revenue authority but also the duty of the concerned Department to be vigilant to check unauthorised lifting.
What steps are you contemplating to contain the siphoning away of minor minerals in your districtIJ
We are conducting random raids to check unauthorised lifting of minor minerals. Due to several engagements, police are not always available to conduct raid. We have requested the Commissionerate Police to provide a dedicated force to conduct raid. The Khordha, Jatani and Tangi Tehsildars have seized a number of vehicles and mining equipments for unauthorised extracting of minor minerals.
What are the remedial measures you are going to provide for the increasing conflict between elephants and human beings in your districtIJ
The elephants are coming out of forests as we have reduced their habitats. We must protect forests and create forest cover around the Chandaka-Dampada Sanctuary for movement of wild animals; otherwise, the man-animal conflict cannot be avoided.
How do you think to protect the environment of the capital cityIJ
As many buildings, apartments and roads are coming up in Bhubaneswar and nearby areas, we must create a green belt to protect the environment; otherwise the temperature will go up gradually. The city dwellers should also develop rainwater-harvesting system in every building for recharge of groundwater.
Do you hope to build a Smart City at the cost of a green oneIJ
The BMC and the BDA are making elaborate plans to have a balance between Smart City and green city. The two concepts are not inimical to each other, rather complimentary.
The Bhubaneswar traffic system is in a shambles. What’s your viewIJ
Even though the road network has been developed, accidents are increasing day by day. The causes in many cases are violation of traffic rules or ignorance of traffic rule. We have made elaborate traffic awareness programme in schools and colleges. People should strictly follow the traffic rules.
What are your hobbiesIJ
I have a flair for writing. I engage myself at my leisure hours in creative writings like short story, poetry, essays, etc. Besides, I spend my time in reading Srimad Bhagabat Geeta. I like reading books having a fusion of literature and philosophy.