The tough measures that Chief Minister Harish Rawat had announced after last summer’s general elections to strengthen the public delivery system are not yet visible on the ground. However, his occasional ‘raids’ have definitely forced many ‘babus’ at district headquarters to come out from their comfort zone.
Take for instance, his unannounced visit to the collectorate campus at Raudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar on Wednesday in course of his current Kumaon trip. It triggered panic among the employees present on duty. He asked the officials concerned to ensure that the ongoing projects be completed on time. His directive—a euphemism for warning—seems to have come as a wakeup call for the administrative officials posted in Udham Singh Nagar district.
All the shortcomings that have come to light should be worked out in a week, the Chief Minister said to the officials concerned, adding that the State Revenue Minister Yashpal Arya would inspect the collectorate after a fortnight. He added that strong action would be taken against the erring officials in case the shortcomings are not resolved.
However, he maintained in the same breath that his focus is on taking stock of the ongoing developmental works and to see whether the projects under the district and other plans are completed on time. Since weather conditions have looked up, the focus must be on timely completion of developmental projects, including those related to roads.
He expressed hope that road works would be completed by the end of April. All necessary directions have been given to the officials concerned on the matter, he said. The Government is committed to improve the basic services for people, Rawat reiterated. During his stay there, he also inspected some important departments, including those related to arms license and public distribution system.
Following inspection, he gave necessary directions to the officials concerned at Rudrapuar collectorate campus in Udham Singh Nagar. Mention worthy, the Udham Singh Nagar district is one of the districts which has not been able to utilise even fifty per cent of the district plan outlay so far this fiscal year.
The Chief Minister’s unannounced visit to the Government-run Shushila Tiwari Hospital in Haldwani during his last month’s Kumaon visit had achieved the desired result of keeping the administrative machinery on its guard. Interestingly, as Haldwani was next stop of his visit the officials concerned of the different Government departments have turned hyper-active in anticipation of his likely visit to their departments too.