Upset with ‘exaggerated’ media reports, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Sunday made changes in the information department supposed to publicise the State Government’s development works and build its image.
In this process, Bahuguna reshuffled secretary Information MH Khan and Director General Information Vinod Sharma with immediate effect. In their place, Secretary Rural Development Vinod Fonia has been appointed as secretary Information and Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority vice chairman R Meenakshi Sundram has been given additional responsibility of DG information. Outgoing DG Information Vinod Sharma has been given responsibility of IG Jail. Besides it Secretary Revenue, Disaster Management & Rehabilitation, Jail IG Bhaskaranand has been relieved from the post of Jail IG.
Rebuilding the image of the State Government will be a challenge for the information department. Sources said that media has ‘exaggerated’ news while covering the natural calamity of June 16-17 and now the State may face shortage of financial resources in the next two to three years as the State receives a major chunk of revenues through tourism.
Since the calamity, tourists, who had booked rooms in Mussoorie, Dhanaulti and lansdwone, which were not affected by calamity, have outrightly cancelled their reservations, demanded return of their advance payments, and are saying they don’t want to see the State at all. If this happens, it would indeed have a negative impact on the State, and employees, who keep putting pressure on the State Government to raise their salary, will organise protests to put pressure on the State to disburse their salary on time.
Sources further said that during the current calamity, the information department neither paid attention to media reports nor made effort to counter the reports. Interestingly, when national and international media were focusing on Uttarakhand, the State information department was circulating information in Hindi as if all would understand it.
Even information department senior officials were not available on phone fuelling charges that they were uninterested in countering the allegations. Even information department officers were seen roaming around the State Congress in-chrage Ambika Soni. It seems they were busy in their personal image building. When such issues came to the CM’s notice, he decided replace both secretary and DG with immediate effect.