Dehradun District Magistrate Chandresh Kumar Yadav who assumed charge around two months back sounded exhausted at 2 pm on Friday when this correspondent asked him about the measures he had taken to improve the long-doddering public distribution system in the district. Things assumed serious proportions against the backdrop of the State Chief Minister Harish Rawat having recently made the DM accountable for the execution of State food security scheme in the district.
Seemingly making light of the issue, DM Yadav said this is nothing new. "All departments come under the administrative jurisdiction of the District Magistrate. So is the food and civil supply department. However, the additional DM (administration) has been deputed to review public distribution system in the city area periodically while it is the chief development officer who has been made in-charge for the rural area," he said.
It seems the DM is wilting under pressure, a fact that can account for his singular failure in fulfilling pledges he boastfully made in the public after assuming charge. He acknowledged on Friday that a large number ration cards issued by the administration have got annulled under National Food Security Scheme in the district and now the ADM and the CDO would review whether they are valid or not with the department officers.
When this correspondent had asked him on August 9 why the district food and civil officers were not being directed to conduct random checking campaign (on sample basis) on the issued new ration cards with many Doon residents having recently protested at DSO office over abounding anomalies in the ration card thus issued, Yadav rubbished outright the allegation, asserting that there was no such anomaly. "One can register complaint in Complaint Redressal Cell if one feels something is wrong and his concerns will be addressed," he averred.
It was thus clear from his gait that despite knowing well that anomalies exist in super-abundance on the matter of issuing new ration cards under National Food Security Scheme in the district, he was feigning ignorance in a bid to either shelve the issue or to pass the buck to others.
Moreover, though Right to Public Service Act is being implemented in the state, the applicants who are submitting applications for procuring income certificates, caste certificates, domicile certificates, character certificates and the like in the Janadhar office which is adjacent to DM office said they were not being provided with them. After assuming charge as DM, he stressed on prompt execution of the government welfare schemes to ensure that the benefits reach out to the intended beneficiaries. But, as things stand now, his zealous pledges to make things better sound like farce.
After reviewing public complaints received in Complaint Redressal Cell with the district officials on Thursday, the DM expressed disappointment over the irritatingly tardy pace of complaint redressal. Out of 1,025 registered complaints since June 27, only 401 were sorted out. He directed the district officials on Thursday to redress public concerns in a month failing which their salaries will be withheld. This correspondent kept on highlighting the sorry state of things for months, but things remained stuck where they had been. Yadav
introduced staffing pattern to depute administrative officers in the remote areas so as to ensure government welfare schemes are executed uniformly across the district. But later he capitulated supinely in the wake of the Collectorate employees baring fangs. Consequently, the order was withdrawn to the glee of the sulking staff and to the woe of the common people of the district.
Sources said controversy keeps on haunting DM Yadav all though his assignments. He stirred controversy while he was in Pauri district after he had ordered the reporters to leave his office. later, however, he sought apology. The same was repeated a few days after he assumed charge as DM of Dehradun.
When Mussoorie MlA Ganesh Joshi along with his supporters went to meet him at his camp office to register complaint in regard to Panchayat election he asked the media persons to get out and later he asked the MlA to persuade his followers to leave, threatening him with FIR in case he did not fall in line while dangling model conduct of conduct norms remaining then in force in the district.