Satluj Pujan enough?

Having executed 1500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project, one of the country’s biggest hydropower projects, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL) has planned Satluj Pujan to express its gratitude to the mighty river. 

Planned on the line of Ganga Pujan, prayers will be held on the banks of the Sutlej at Nathpa, where the dam is located. The state’s biggest projects, including Nathpa Jhakri, Karcham Wangtu and Baspa, have come up on the banks of the river.  Notwithstanding protests by environmentalists and NGOs, there seems to be no stopping to allowing more projects on the Sutlej.   However, the question on everybody’s mind is whether treating the river as Goddess is enough or one needs to show genuine concerns towards protecting it.

Once bitten, twice shy 

The announcement of the visit of the President of India to Solan district has created such a scare among officials that they are virtually on tenterhooks. Since six  officials, including a DC and two SPs,  have been transferred  in the last four months for inept handling of the Chief Minister’s tour in Nalagarh  and later the demolition drive in Kasauli, the officials   have left no stone unturned to ensure that all arrangements are being  minutely scrutinised. They not only stay put in their offices well beyond the working hours, but also invested their Sunday to ensure immaculate handling of the VVIP tour. The adage once bitten, twice shy appears to be the apt explanation of their plight, commented a common man who had never seen such a sense of urgency earlier.

Surprising change

The top-level bureaucratic reshuffle has come as surprise for many seniors but shifting of Principal Secretary-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Manish Nanda was unexpected. She has been replaced by Shrikant Baldi, a 1985 batch IAS officer, who also hails from Rajasthan and is a batch mate of his predecessor. The transfer orders were issued on May 12, which was a holiday, but the key functionary in the CM’s office was not involved. “There is not much to read between the lines as a senior Rajasthani officer has been replaced by another Rajasthani officer of the same batch,” said a senior bureaucrat who was also affected in the reshuffle.  

Following Virbhadra 

While in the Opposition, BJP leaders had been accusing Virbhadra Singh of opening of colleges, hospitals and revenue offices at his whims in the state. However, now in power, the BJP also seems to be toeing the same line. During his recent visit to the Kangra district, CM Jai Ram Thakur had announced a new college irrespective of the fact that the district had 19 government colleges and many colleges are running with a single teacher in a single room, upgrade of hospitals though the existing hospitals are acutely short of doctors and revenue offices which face shortage of officials.

Contributed by Pratibha Chauhan, Ambika Sharma, Bhanu P Lohumi and Lalit Mohan