Uneasy calm descends upon state secretariat
PANAJI: As a political storm continued to brew in Goa, an uneasy calm enveloped the state secretariat with empty parking lots and deserted corridors replacing the usual commotion at the bureaucratic building on Tuesday.
On a usual day, different delegations crowd the secretariat, waiting to call on the chief minister to press for their demands. However, with chief minister Manohar Parrikar being in Delhi for medical treatment and individual ministers refraining from giving any concrete assurance, the delegations are staying away from the secretariat for the time being.
But officials said nothing had changed as the chief minister was ensuring that the state machinery kept moving.
“Our work remains the same. Files sent to the Chief Minister’s Office are being scanned and dispatched to the chief minister. 70% of the files are being approved with the words ‘OK’ being scribbled on to it,” an official working at the secretariat said on the condition of anonymity. The other files are either being returned with the comment ‘hold’ or are not returned at all, the official added.
Upon his return from the US after treatment in June, Parrikar had said he was monitoring the functioning of the state even during his medical visits.
“Each decision was being delivered to me by email and I used to approve it from there. Each decision was being conveyed to the secretary,”Parrikar had said.
Despite concerns that the political turmoil could put bureaucratic work on backburner, government officials maintained that everyday work was going on as normal.
“When it comes to routine work there is no holdup,” an official in the Goa government said on the condition of anonymity. “It is only policy decisions that could be held up because of the CM’s absence,” the official added.