Saturday, February 8, 2003
M A I N   F E A T U R E


More a scholar than a bureaucrat
R.C. Ganjoo

Dr Sudhir Singh BloeriaALWAYS maintaining a low profile at key positions and well known for his integrity and honesty, Dr Sudhir Singh Bloeria is the 21st Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir. A 1968 batch IAS officer, he served in the Army from 1966 to 1972. He fought the 1971 war in Fazilka sector. He was given the benefit of his four years Army service when he joined the Civil Services. Before taking over as Chief Secretary, he was Director, Enforcement Directorate, New Delhi. His wife, Rani Gargi, who has always stood behind him like a rock, is also a prominent social worker.

Bloeria was awarded a Ph.D degree in 1995 for his doctoral thesis The Battle of Zoji La -1948. He has also written a book, Pakistan’s insurgency vs India’s Security. His first positing as an IAS officer was as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Kargil-Ladakh, from 1974 to 1976.

"Of course it is challenging to run the bureaucracy in a state which has an alliance government. My first priority is to take my colleagues along with me who have been put out of joint over the last six years. They should feel they are wanted and are a part of the system," he says.

 


Bloeria has a reputation in the Services of always maintaining his dignity and never succumbing to political pressure. "I have always worked within prescribed procedures and rules," he says. "Never in my life I have succumbed to political pressure. If at all they try to built up pressure against me now, it won’t be in their interest," he states candidly. He believes that all his predecessors were competent officers. "It is very difficult to rate them. But in my opinion R.K. Takkar was very good in time management and was an effective person. He would take personal care of his colleagues. Sheikh Ghulam Rasool was also an effective officer," he adds.

Bloeria, however, is more of a scholar than a bureaucrat. "I have a keen interest in reading books, particularly history books. This is the reason that my thesis is on a historical event. My next book, which is under print, is on how the state assembly and Parliament elections were conducted in 1996 after a gap of 10 years. I was then holding the post of Additional Chief Secretary, Home, in the state."

Though actively involved in day-to-day functioning of the state, Bloeria has his post retirement plans ready already. "I will learn Sanskrit and Indian classical instrumental in depth. I also plan to write two more books; one on Ladakh and another on Maharaja Hari Singh," he smiles.