Fund crunch & appointments

Notwithstanding poor financial health of the state, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has appointed Satpal Satti, former BJP president, as chairman of the Sixth State Finance Commission and Trilok Kapoor, chairman of the state Wool Federation. The issue is bound to echo in the ensuing Vidhan Sabha session, commencing from September 7. Opposition Congress is sure to cite the over Rs 55,000 crore debt trap while hitting out at the

BJP regime but does the Congress actually has the moral authority to do so? While the BJP has done it three years after it assumed power and still many important boards and corporation are without chairmen, the Congress had made three dozen such political appointees.

Minister’s favourites suffer

A Cabinet minister in the present government is in trouble over land deals done by her family. Besides, the favourite officers of the minister are also in trouble in Kangra district. While one officer was shunted out to tribal area, another favourite officer of the minister has been put under suspension. The officials, who earlier enjoyed patronage of the minister and did not care much about their senior officials and bureaucrats in the district, now fear that they might become victims anytime soon. With war of wits going on among powerful people in the present government, these were the middle rung officials who are bearing the burnt.

Pleasing political bosses

When Doon MLA Paramjeet Singh tested positive for Covid-19, silence was maintained by the officials when media persons called them up for confirmation of the news. One wondered whether the Official Secrets Act had been imposed and revealing such information would fetch some penal action or a transfer. Scribes had to call up the legislator himself to confirm the news and he had to put a Facebook post to confirm it publicly. It seems none wants to earn the ire of the politicians, especially those for whom staying put in the Baddi- Barotiwala- Nalagarh industrial belt is a major concern.

HPU faces embarrassment

The state government and Himachal Pradesh University faced avoidable embarrassment due to the communication gap between the high court which stayed the final semester under graduate examination and the authorities concerned. The stay orders issued on August 14 were not conveyed to the HPU and the government came to know about it after 70 hours on August 17. To add to the confusion, Education Minister Gobind Thakur said: “We will go ahead with examinations” but did a volte-face by the evening and the HPU had to postpone exams. Thankfully, the crisis was averted as the high court accepted the review petition and allowed holding of exams.