Dilli Ka Babu: The impermanence of being Sanjiv

Sanjiv Chaturvedi, the whistle-blower Indian Forest Service officer, who has been in the news for his numerous run-ins with the bureaucracy, will be — once again — packing his bags soon. The Centre has turned down his 16-month-old request for deputation with the Delhi government. Though Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is still trying to get Mr Chaturvedi to stay in Delhi, the Centre’s decision now means that Mr Chaturvedi will return to Uttarakhand, his cadre state.

It’s been a hard few years for Mr Chaturvedi who had bravely exposed irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in Haryana and fallen afoul of the then Congress government of Bhupinder Singh Hooda. After much struggle he finally managed to come to the Centre on deputation as chief vigilance officer at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). But this time too Mr Chaturvedi again found himself sidelined by the authorities when he highlighted some corrupt practices in the premier institution. He certainly tried to stick to his cause. The Centre’s decision seems to have closed the door on Mr Chaturvedi’s attempt to stay in Delhi.

The unpredictable Fadnavis

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis does not only keep his ministers on their toes, but even the state bureaucracy is in a state of constant nervousness. Just as his recent Cabinet reshuffle raised hackles in certain affected quarters, the abrupt decision to transfer 2002-batch IAS officer Pravin Gedam from Nashik, where he was municipal commissioner. Sources say that Mr Fadnavis gave in to political pressure because Mr Gedam had acted firmly against illegal constructions and also some corrupt civic officials.

Apparently, Mr Gedam’s ouster has created a lot of discontent among the bureaucrats as they feel that babus are increasingly being transferred for reasons other than their work. Meanwhile there are going to be new faces in the chief minister’s office (CMO) too. Mr Fadnavis is looking for replacements for two senior officials who have been inducted into the IAS cadre and will soon move out. However, sources say that Vivek Bhimanwar and Rajesh Narvekar, the two departing babus, will stay on until their successors are appointed.