Creation of additional sections cuts ‘babus’ down to size

The state government has set up four new sections in the housing department, including a dedicated cell for monitoring and dealing with all work related to metro rail projects in the state.

“The state has eight ongoing metro rail projects in various stages.

While each city has its own special purpose vehicle to implement its project, a need was felt to have a separate body or cell at the state level to coordinate and monitor the progress of these projects,” said principal secretary, housing, Sada Kant. Consequently, the state government has given its nod for creation of four additional sections. With this, the total number of sections has now gone up to 10 in the housing department.

Apart from an exclusive cell for all metro rail projects, complaints, issues related to unauthorised construction, master plan and land use conversion related proposals too would be dealt by separately by these new sections, states the July 20 order issued by the principal secretary, housing. The move to streamline and ease the workload, however, has not gone down well with a section of the ‘babus,’ who exercised monopoly over work regarded as ‘lucrative’ in official parlance.

After dealing with the same work for years on end, they had developed vested interests and formed a caucus with builders and engineers from all over the state.

The latest reshuffle has cut them down to size. “Some of these black sheep were so upset with the restructuring that they have lodged a complaint against me with the chief minister using the letter heads of a couple of legislators, which were subsequently found forged,” says Sada Kant.

I brought this to the notice of the CM, who asked me to get to the bottom of this and identify the culprits, he said.

A vigilance inquiry has now been ordered into the issue and one of the masterminds in the department behind the conspiracy has been placed under suspension.