More than 100 days have passed since Chandresh Kumar assumed charge as Dehradun district magistrate. However, he has not been able to effectively face the challenges posed by the strings of stirs launched by the Government employees, including those in the Collectorate, Amins and from some other unions, from time to time in the district.
After assuming charge as DM, Kumar said the priorities were changing from time to time along with the type of works. He stressed on providing equal share to the intended beneficiaries while executing Government sponsored welfare schemes effectively. Employees' concerns will also be communicated straight to the State administration, he assured.
Meanwhile, to deploy Collectorate employees at all the Tehsils, especially those located in the remote areas of the district, Kumar had implemented staffing pattern in the district. The Collectorate employees raised ruckus over it and spearheaded stir, demanding its revocation. later, they intensified their protest, saying the momentum of their stir would not flag until the administration reverts back to the staffing pattern 2011. In the wake of the Collectorate employees striking work and three employees misbehaving with him, DM had registered a case under section 332, 504, 186 of IPC against three Collectorate employees -- Ajay Goyal, Rajendra Rawat and Anuj Kumar. Finally, DM Kumar went back, having withdrawn his decision.
Rajendra Kumar, one of the Collectorate employees, said that the DM had assumed charge in June and it was chequered with hosts of stirs being resorted to by various orgaisations. The employees had boycotted works from July 30 to August 1. later they carried out an indefinite strike from August 2 to August 10 in support of their pending demands.
The stir was re-launched again and continued from September 11 to 13. From September 15, they started protesting in support of pending demands under the banner of Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Employees' Union. With the stirs dragging on being spearheaded by several outfits, visitors who reached Collectorate for various works like issuance of certificates, gun licenses and other related works faced inconvenience and returned back empty- handed. Apart from the court- related issues, works related to distribution of funds for disaster affected persons were also adversely affected, he added.
DM Kumar's repeated warning-tinged directives to the district officers to promptly redress things as recorded in the public complaints seem to have failed to thaw the ice of inefficiency on the ground. During the earlier meeting with the district officers, Kumar had warned the district officers to readdress public complaints received in the Complaint Redressal Cell at Collectorate in Dehradun without delay, failing which he warned that their salaries would be withheld. He said this against the backdrop of only 401 such registered complaints out of 1025 since June 27 having been sorted out by the district officers of various departments.
DM Kumar formed teams to verify the new ration cards against the framed yardsticks in the district after the CM had made the DMs accountable for the task. However, making a mockery of the CM's directive, the teams are yet to launch the drive in right earnest.
While talking to The Pioneer, State Food and Civil Supply Minister Pritam Singh said that around a month ago, DM Kumar had been directed to verify the new ration cards and to ensure the spurious cards be cancelled and the new ones be issued only to the intended beneficiaries. He is yet to receive such reports from the officer concerned. Singh said he would soon inquire into the issue to learn where things stand now.