WAITING FOR GOD

COVER STORY

power sector political will

WAITING FOR GOD

The common man is angry and does not know where to turn. The country’s power sector is in a perpetual reforms mode. He is demanding action. Power has become the lifeline, essential to basic services like water, transport, education and health. Clearly, the nation needs a recharge. For whom are we waiting?

by Naresh Minocha

POWER is essential. The two things most essential perhaps are power and speed among other things.” So said Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru while advocating self-reliance in core areas at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) held on November 9, 1954.

Fifty-eight years later, both electricity and speed in government’s decision-making process have become non-essential. What has become essential instead is the media-orchestrated, NGOs’ campaign against innumerable power projects. The war against electricity generation projects often gets legitimacy due to favourable comments or verdict from judiciary.

The opinion leaders don’t care if the country’s trade deficit and current account deficit gets aggravated due to surging imports of coal and gas. The fact that such imports imply sacrifice of job-creation opportunities in these natural resources industries is also not their concern.

As for the speed cherished so much by Pandit Nehru, the word ‘speed’ has been substituted with policy paralysis, inaction or delays in the present government. The speed in resolving multiple and complex problems in the electricity sector is certainly missing.

The power sector thus remains in perpetual reforms mode with several programmes failing to solve the basic problems in all segments of the sector. It is very difficult to keep track of the many committees that have discussed the same problems and recommended same or similar solutions over the years. And basic problems such failure to achieve targeted cut in power transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, desired hydel-thermal power generation mix and mismatch between investments in generation, transmission and distribution have persisted for decades.....READMORE

A nation short-circuited

COVER STORY

power sector political will

 

A nation short-circuited

Generation, distribution and transmission failure... problems, problems and no solutions. The crux of the crisis is shortage of fuel. What are the options? Are we going to see light at the end of the day?  

 

by Neeraj Mahajan

 

“No nation can aspire to be modern and developed without electricity...No modern machinery can run without uninterrupted and quality power... Imagine New York or London or Tokyo for just one day without power supply… It could bring down governments”.

 

– Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

 

It’s impossible to imagine a world without electricity. Don’t be shocked electricity is ‘power’. Either you have it or you don’t. It create three categories of people… powerful (with all the power they want), power scarce or power-scant (cables and poles in place but irregular power) and powerless (no power and no hopes either). Electricity bridges the gap between the rich and the poor and alleviates poverty; while lack of electricity can magnify the effects of death, disease and poverty. Because of lack of clean and reliable energy, 800 million people in India use fuel-wood, agricultural waste and cow dung. According to the World Health Organisation, this is the main cause of indoor air pollution and accounts for 300,000 -400,000 deaths and other chronic health issues every year in India.

 

Today, there are more people without electricity in India than in any part of the world, and nowhere more so than in UP with 60 million powerless people. At least 10 out of 28 states in India have 25 per cent power deficit. Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are amongst the worst with 23 per cent and 22 per cent deficit, respectively. The states most affected by power shortage include Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.....READMORE

‘State utilities must be financially viable’

COVER STORY

Interview arup roy choudhury

‘State utilities must be financially viable’

NTPC is India’s largest power utility, the third largest power generation company in Asia and the tenth largest in the world, with an installed capacity of 39,174 MW through 16 coal based, 7 gas / liquid fuel and 7 Joint Venture power stations. NTPC added a record capacity of 2820 MW during the year 2011-12 surpassing its earlier best capacity addition of 2490 MW during 2010-11. With this addition the company surpassed the 11th plan target of 9220 MW by achieving total capacity addition of 9610 MW. In the first quarter of 2012-13, NTPC has already added 2,160 MW. In this interview with gfiles, NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Arup Roy Choudhury outlines his vision for the company. A firm believer in achieving team-excellence through transformational shift to proactive, positive and personalised approach, Choudhury is Chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises, the apex body of over 240 Central Public Sector Enterprises.

The power sector has not been a favourite in recent times. What factors have actually led to the growth of NTPC?

In the case of NTPC, the company has maintained its leadership position, with steady focus on high generation, efficient project implementation and overall business excellence. The company is currently undertaking capacity addition of 16,638 MW and has signed PPAs for over 40,000 MW for sustained growth through the 12th Plan and the start of the 13th Plan.

Please tell us about NTPC’s financial performance in the first quarter of this fiscal?

NTPC has reported an unaudited profit after tax of Rs 2,498.67 crore as compared to Rs 2,075.78 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous year, registering a quarter on quarter increase of 20 per cent. Its total income was Rs 16,844.89 crore as against Rs 15,167.89 crore for last year’s corresponding quarter, an increase of 11 per cent. We generated 58878 MUs of electricity from April to June 2012, an improvement of 7.83 per cent over Q1 2011-12.....READMORE

BHEL – ‘Powering Progress, Brightening Lives’

COVER STORY

award bhel

 

BHEL – ‘Powering Progress, Brightening Lives’

 

BHARAT Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) was conceived with a vision to make India self-reliant in the manufacturing of power plant equipment and to change the face of industrial development in India. Today, BHEL is the largest engineering enterprise of its kind in India and one of the foremost companies in the international power arena.

 

BHEL is an integrated power plant equipment manufacturer, engaged in the design, engineering, manufacture, construction, testing, commissioning and servicing of a wide range of products and services in the power and industry segments. BHEL has become an icon of an incredible success story and is today a multi-product company offering over 180 state-of-the-art products under one umbrella. While the core competence of BHEL is in the power sector, it has established the technological infrastructure to cater to other core sectors also like; Industry, Transportation, Transmission, Oil & Gas, Defence and Renewable Energy. Its diverse manufacturing base supported by contemporary and unique manufacturing facilities gives it a competitive edge.

 

BHEL has 15 manufacturing divisions, two repair units, four regional offices, eight service centres and 15 regional centres and currently operates at more than 100 project sites across India and abroad. It also has a Corporate R&D centre at Hyderabad and product-based R&D centres at all its manufacturing units. Accreditations like ISO-9000, ISO-14001 and OHSAS-18001 have given the company international recognition for its unwavering....READMORE

The ‘Dark Age’ is looming

COVER STORY

reforms m g devasahayam

 

The ‘Dark Age’ is looming

The Government’s dealing with power sector is more like five blind men
trying to figure out different parts of an elephant

 

INDIA needs a second wave of reforms, says President Barack Obama. It will, of course, be driven by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and MNCs like Wal-Mart. Like it was in the mid/late nineties when these entities, led by Enron, the energy MNC, anchored the ‘first wave of reforms’!

 

We are still paying the price of the ‘first wave’ at the core of which was the power sector. And today India is ‘powerless’, with the media predicting the ‘the coming of the dark ages’. The Indian power sector is in deep distress and angry citizens are taking to the streets in protest against the abysmal situation.

 

Power shortages through June and July averaged over 36,000 MW, roughly 18 per cent of India’s installed generating capacity of 2,02,980 MW. Outages routinely cause 12-16-hour blackouts in cities. Losses in distribution average over 30 per cent across the country. Power utilities are running an overall annual loss of about Rs 70,000 crore. Over 25 per cent of India’s population still has no access to electricity.

 

To find out why this has happened, we need to go back two decades. In the early nineties, when India’s power sector reforms were being deliberated at the World Bank, there were two schools of thought. The issue was whether the reforms should be ‘structural’ or ‘end-use efficiency’ oriented. Those who knew the Indian realities suggested that end-use efficiency, supported by structural reforms, should lead the process. But the consultants and ‘reform specialists’ pitched in for the structural approach, with end-use efficiency as an embellishment.........READMORE

Yes, Minister

GOVERNANCE

behaviour prabhat kumar

 

The fundamental problem with the country is not the evil politician 

but the ‘obedient’ Government servant

 

The recurring theme of the relationship between political leaders in the Government and the civil servants has not been extensively debated. In my interactions with the younger members of the civil service, the question ‘how should we deal with political pressures’ crops up frequently.

 

My simple answer to the dilemma is that as a politico-bureaucratic interaction is intrinsic to parliamentary democracy, it depends mainly on the civil servant to steer the relationship in the best interests of the State while keeping institutional integrity intact.

 

A bureaucrat should be able to distinguish between the State and the Government of the day. In my view, it should be his endeavour to protect the interests of the State. The basic constituents of the State are the Constitution, the legitimacy of the political system and the security of the nation. He should not allow the integrity of the State, however imperfect or inadequate it may be, to be compromised.

 

For example, I consider the revelations of the weaknesses of our defence preparedness to be an act against the State. In fact, the Chief of Army Staff should not have written the letter to the Prime Minister on the subject. While his concern for the security apparatus may be genuine, I think it was a grossly improper move because he had not exhausted the remedies available to him.....READMORE

‘Safety of women is our priority’

RAPID FIRE

mks sundaram dm, gautam budh nagar (up)

 

Known for his rapport with the public, MKS Sundaram, an IAS officer of the 1997 batch and the new District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, shares his experiences with gfiles

 

As the DM of Gautam Budh Nagar, more commonly known as Noida, what are the challenges you are facing and the measures you have taken to overcome them?

MKS Sundaram :There are several challenges as this is an urban area. The city is important not only nationally but also internationally, as many multinational companies have their offices and units here. Also, there are a large number of media companies based in the city. Traffic in the city is a key area of concern. We are now trying to introduce world-class systems with regard to traffic management. We are also seeking to educate the public about good traffic management.

 

There are charges that Noida is not safe for women and girls. Your views?

MKSS :We are setting up a control room that will be more like a call centre. Professionals will man this control room and distress calls received by it will be immediately attended to. The police are vigilant and our priority will be to handle law and order, with emphasis on the safety of women.

 

Why is the crime rate high in Noida?

MKSS :This probably becauseNoida is an affluent city. But, the police and the administration are taking effective measures to bring the crime rate down.........READMORE

‘Many in Cabinet did not back me’

TALK TIME

Sadanand gowda, former Karnataka cm

 

 

He is a one-man army. He governed 65 million people for 350 days. He held 22 portfolios directly and the rest in proxy. He inherited others’ men in his Cabinet. His personal staff was not ‘his own men’. Pins were pricking him left, right and centre and still he smiled broadly! That is Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda of Karnataka. Needless to say he was elected to office with the blessings of the discredited BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa, who has more than a dozen criminal cases of corruption, nepotism and illegal notification, etc., pending against him. But, Sadananda Gowda did not become a puppet in the hands of his mentor turned tormentor. As a lone warrior, he took all the innuendoes hurled at him in his stride, fought the peoples’ war against corruption and gave 350 days of governance with a difference. This was even as his friends had become foes and vice-versa! B Harishchandra Bhat talked to him a day after he relinquished office ‘voluntarily’ at the behest of the party high command. Excerpts.....READMORE

 

‘Many in Cabinet did not back me’

TALK TIME

Sadanand gowda, former Karnataka cm

 

 

He is a one-man army. He governed 65 million people for 350 days. He held 22 portfolios directly and the rest in proxy. He inherited others’ men in his Cabinet. His personal staff was not ‘his own men’. Pins were pricking him left, right and centre and still he smiled broadly! That is Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda of Karnataka. Needless to say he was elected to office with the blessings of the discredited BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa, who has more than a dozen criminal cases of corruption, nepotism and illegal notification, etc., pending against him. But, Sadananda Gowda did not become a puppet in the hands of his mentor turned tormentor. As a lone warrior, he took all the innuendoes hurled at him in his stride, fought the peoples’ war against corruption and gave 350 days of governance with a difference. This was even as his friends had become foes and vice-versa! B Harishchandra Bhat talked to him a day after he relinquished office ‘voluntarily’ at the behest of the party high command. Excerpts.....READMORE

 

Flight of the Asians

MANDARIN MATTERS

niranjan desai

  

August 8, 2012, marks the 40th anniversary of the infamous day when Idi Amin decreed that all Asians should leave Uganda within three months.

 

Idi Amin had come to power in Uganda through against the government of Milton Obote with surreptitious help from the British and Israeli governments. Ironically, most Asians in Uganda welcomed the changeover because they had been apprehensive of Obote’s socialistic moves under the banner of ‘Move to the Left’.

 

However, Amin’s erratic and whimsical way of governing soon created an undercurrent of unrest. Amin’s response was to turn the heat on the Asian community as a populist measure since, rightly or wrongly, the successful Asian community was also looked upon by a resentful majority as an alien exploitative group.

 

What followed was the uprooting of the over 50,000 strong Indian diaspora. Many had never been outside of Uganda or the other two countries of East Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. This was the second such mass expulsion of the Indian diaspora since Independence; the previous one being from Myanmar, then called Burma. I had an accidental opportunity to play some role in this by virtue of being the desk officer for East Africa at the Ministry of External Affairs. That story is recounted in my book.

 

For a young officer with just seven years in service suddenly being thrown into such a crisis situation was challenging and at the same time traumatic given the sudden tragic plight of one’s countrymen especially since many of them were relations or family acquaintances......READMORE

Adieu, civil services

MY CORNER

career goals amitabh thakur

 

Nowadays, we routinely get news of officers leaving the civil services half way through their career. Is this a reflection on the civil services as a career option?

 

‘Yet another IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, Subrat Ratho, has opted for the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS). In a July 2 letter to Chief Secretary Jayant Kumar Banthia, Ratho, an officer of 1986 batch, has offered to quit and set October 12 as deadline for the Government to take a final decision on his offer.’

 

‘An IAS officer, SE Sekhar Babu, who is presently Secretary, AP Information Commission (APIC), has reportedly put in his papers, seeking voluntary retirement from service by this month-end.‘

 

‘Dr K Ashok Vardhan Shetty, a 1983 batch Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer, had five more years to retire. A Principal Secretary in the state’s municipal department, Shetty, an engineer and MBA, simply wanted to quit the Government. In September 2011, he applied for voluntary retirement.’

 

‘One more 1983 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of MP cadre is learnt to have tendered his resignation. He is likely to join the multinational company, Honeywell. According to sources, Dhiraj Mathur, who is presently on study leave in the United States, has put in his papers. Before Mathur, two officers of the same batch — JP Rai and Sunil Tondon — had quit the service and are presently working in the private sector........READMORE

‘No politics in Bengaluru policing’

FIRST PERSON

jyoti prakash mirjee police commissioner, bengaluru

 

 

 

The Police Commissioner of Bengaluru, Jyoti Prakash Mirjee, feels that there is no political interference in the functioning of the police in the city. He claims that the city police have become more humanistic in their approach. However, to make traffic movement smoother in the city, he stresses on the need to enhance infrastructure. Venugopalan spoke to him to understand his priorities. Excerpts:

 

Traffic congestion in Bengaluru is increasing day-by-day. What is your department doing to resolve the situation?

Jyoti Prakash Mirjee: As you know, Bengaluru has a very high vehicle population. About 50 lakh vehicles move on its roads every day. We have some problem with the basic infrastructure. These are being attended to by the government and will take some time to settle.

 

Do you want to say the entire traffic is moving well in the city?

JPM: Despite the fact that some roads are very narrow, and some flyovers and under-passes have to constructed, the overall situation is under control.

 

One of the reasons of mismanagement in traffic control is said to be the lack of coordination between civic agencies. There appears to be no collective planning? Is it due to a communication gap between the police and other departments?

JPM: There is no communication gap. We are working together. Planning is also being done accordingly.

...........READMORE

The ‘still frame’

SILLY POINT

humour mk kaw

 

WHEN we had the Indian Civil Service, it ruled the country. All the power was vested in the ICS officers, especially if their skin was white. They were the burra sahibs. There was no one to share power with them, no Minister, MP, MLA or Sarpanch.

 

This happy situation continued even when the brown sahibs started entering the service. Contemporary accounts indicate that a kind of apartheid was practised and new desi entrants to the ICS did not socialise on familiar terms with members of the Officers’ Club, which was dominated by the British members. The brown sahibs felt more at ease in the Indian Officers’ Club.

 

By the time the British left, the brown sahibs had found their feet and another kind of silent discrimination was practised by the ICS against the IAS. Gradually, the politicians came into the system of governance and learnt the ropes. What was once hailed as the ‘steel frame; started rusting. Today it is known more as the ‘still frame’, on account of its lack of movement and dynamism.

 

Today, if you talk to a member of this ‘still frame’, he is most likely to plead guilty to the charge that all decision-making has ground to a screeching halt. As an excuse, he is likely to say that in today’s system of power-sharing between the netas and the babus, the latter have been rendered powerless. He may present any of the following gems.......Readmore

Limited ambition, larger vision

PERSPECTIVE

sadhguru spirituality

 

 

Of the four major forces in the world – politics, military, religion and economics – that decide the quality of people’s lives to a large extent, I see the economic force as the biggest possibility for bringing about some unification and sensible action. In the next ten to fifteen years, the economic leadership is poised to play a far more important role in the world than others. Therefore, we are presented with a great opportunity for largescale change. More than 80 per cent of the world’s wealth is controlled by just a few thousand people. Even if just 10 per cent change happens in their hearts, the world will change. The world is hungry not because there is no food. There is more food than the seven billion people on the planet can eat. It is just that those who need it do not get it, because one way or the other, those who have the power and the means have not cared enough to do something about it.

 

Today’s corporations have grown to such a size that they are as big as governments. That is why today’s corporate leader is required to travel extensively, handle a variety of issues and complexities, and above all, deal with people from diverse cultures. Therefore, a truly successful corporate leader should be versatile and able to multitask in complex situations......Readmore

Stay put for good returns

STOCK DOCTOR

dr gs sood

 

THE exit of Pranab Mukherjee, the indication of some reforms as also some announcements by the Prime Minister, who temporarily held charge of the finance portfolio, brought cheers to the market. The market’s response clearly indicates how significant government’s inaction and policy paralysis were issues for the market and more so for foreign institutional investors. (FIIs).

 

When just speeeches and addresses can do so much, one can only imagine what will happen when the Government actually walks the talk. Again, just as the market was starting to look good, with most analysts expecting a sharp rally post the Presidential elections, new concerns cropped up.

If earlier, it was Mamata’s Trinamool Congress that was playing the spoilsport, today it is Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party, once considered to be a stable ally of the Government, that has started playing truant. This is making the United Progressive Alliance look far more fragile, especially from the point of view of pushing reforms....Readmore

Raja faces a coup?

anand sharma on the warpath

So far the impression was that Sonia Gandhi was uncomfortable dealing with Raja Virbhadra Singh. Now it turns out that Rahul Gandhi appears to be similarly disposed towards the former Himachal chief minister. As AICC general secretary in-charge of the Youth Congress, Rahul not only had Virbhadra Singh’s son’s election as State Youth Congress President cancelled but also banned him from contesting again. And now in the screening committee set up for Himachal Pradesh, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit has been made chairperson and MOS Home Jitender Singh a member. Both are known to be anti-Virbhadra. Unhappy at being not included, the Raja has sent his resignation from all committees to Sonia Gandhi. Without him, the party cannot hope to win in Himachal. Yes, he was made head of the campaign committee for Himachal Pradesh but not consulted on its composition. Six of the members were “almost on their death bed”. Then, his bete noire Anand Sharma was made incharge of the manifesto committee and called a meeting at his ministerial office in Udyog Bhawan. He obviously wanted to show Raja down....Readmore

No Rajya Sabha please

rahul dictates to congress

 

Rahul Gandhi has begun to carve out a bigger role for himself at least as far as the party is concerned. For the first time, he has inducted members of the young brigade in screening committees for the states of Himachal Pradesh, Tripura and Gujarat. Jitender Singh is a member of the screening committee for Himachal Pradesh, Jiten Prasada for Tripura and R P N Singh for Gujarat. All three are ministers of state and are known to be part of Rahul Gandhi’s brigade, but more importantly have won Lok Sabha elections. The same is the case for the chairpersons of these screening committees. Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, chairperson for Himachal Pradesh, has delivered Delhi three times to the Congress, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, chairperson for Tripura, has delivered Assam to the Congress twice while C P Joshi, chairperson for Gujarat, has won his Lok Sabha seat from Rajasthan......Readmore

Made for each other

saif-kareena wedding update

In yet another twist to the Saif-Kareena wedding, it is now learnt that the wedding would be held as decided on October 16,    and not at the end of year as reported by some. But instead of Sharmila Tagore hosting the festivities at the sprawling palace at Pataudi, the wedding would be held in Mumbai at R K Studios. This is because Kareena’s dad Randhir Kapoor has insisted that his daughter cannot get married from her in-laws house but must be married from their own premises. Interestingly, Kareena, who will be wearing Sharmila’s wedding dress and her jewels, is not happy about R K Studios being the venue as she considers it to be inauspicious. Her elder sister Karishma got married there and it is no secret that the marriage has been full of turbulence from the beginning. Karishma is now living in Mumbai. Sharmila will now host the reception in Delhi on October.....Readmore

Bengali khana khazana

inside president pranab’s kitchen

 

Even though Pranab Mukherjee has not appointed a single Bengali so far in Rashtrapati Bhawan, he however quintessentially remains a Bengali in his habits, particularly when it comes to food. His favourite breakfast consists of luchi (Bengali puri) and an aloo subzi which is made without haldi and with green chillies and kala bhuna jeera. But the chef at Rashtrapati Bhawan was all at sea. So Pranabda’s daughter Sharmishta came into the kitchen and taught the chef how to prepare the new President’s favourite dish. In the meantime, dada’s cook Padam from 13 Talkatora Road has also been brought to Rashtrapati Bhawan and he will teach the other chefs what exactly the President relishes. For some time now, Pranabda has turned vegetarian and does not eat fish, which was earlier part of his daily diet like most Bengalis. So, Bengali vegetarian food is likely to become the staple diet of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Sharmishta, who is herself a Kathak dancer in her own right, is expected to play a bigger role now and may......Readmore

Pressed into action

VENU RAJAMONY, Joint Secretary in the Finance Ministry and topper of the 1986 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), is the new Press Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee. He is among the few top appointees in Pranab’s first list.  He holds a degree in law from the Mahatma Gandhi University in Kerala and a master’s in International Studies from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Rajamony is said to be very close to Omita Paul, 63-year-old Secretary to the President. Rajamony is an experienced officer and has handled  work relating to the International Finance Corp, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in the Finance Ministry. He served as the Consul-General of India in Dubai between 2007 and 2010. He has also served in the Indian missions in Hong Kong, Beijing, Geneva and Washington as also in the Ministry of External Affairs in South Block. Fluent in Chinese, Rajamony has authored a monograph ‘The India-China-US Triangle: A Soft Balance of Power in the Making’ as also a coffee-table book ‘India and the UAE: In Celebration of a Legendary Friendship’. In 1996, he was rapporteur of the..........Readmore

Vaishyas rule in UP

 

EVERYBODY  in UP is surprised about the sudden resurgence of IAS officers from the Vaishya community in Lucknow. Sanjay Agarwal is Principal Secretary for Medical and Health, Deepak Singhal is Principal Secretary, Irrigation, S P Goel is Secretary, Irrigation, Anil Gupta is Infrastructure Development Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Power. Rakesh Garg is Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister while Mahesh Gupta is Excise Commissioner. Archana Agarwal is Food Commissioner and Ashish Goel is Chief Staff Officer to the Chief Secretary. Rajiv Agarwal is Director, Mandi Parishad. This sudden rise of one community is creating an uproar among the Yadavs but they are helpless. If insiders to be believed, they are all protégés of Mulayam Singh Yadav’s second wife Sadhna Gupta. His son and Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, is from his first wife who lives in Safai in his ancestral home. Mulayam lives.........Readmore

Shattered dreams in Daman

 

CONTRARY  to expectations, Daman too is subject to political hobnobbing and back-office moves. The case in point is that of the No. 2 in the administrative hierarchy of the Union Territories of Daman, Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli. We are talking about Mohanjit Singh an IAS officer of 1991 AGMU cadre. Since he joined last year, local politicians, Mohan Delkar, ex-MP from Silvasa, Ketan Patel and Vishal Tandel from Daman have been luring him with the promise to make him the Administrator. In turn, he has left no stone unturned to queer the pitch for the present incumbent, Narendra Kumar, IAS officer of 1988 AGMU cadre. These politicians succeeded in getting Narendra Kumar transferred. However, when these gentlemen, namely Delkar, Patel and Tandel, met the Home Minister on July 11 to lobby for Mohanjit Singh as Administrator, the plan came crashing down like a pack of cards. It is believed that the local.........Readmore

Undesirable contacts

 

THE  Central Bureau of Investigation has updated its list of undesirable contact men (UCM) and Government officials have been warned against dealing with these people. After gfiles published a diary item regarding the UCM list, we received many phone calls requesting for names of people on the list. It is learnt that the CBI has identified 23 lobbyists and power brokers (all men), operating in major ministries like finance, defence, home, coal, steel, power, telecom and shipping as ‘undesirable contacts’. As per the list, 14 persons are from Delhi. Former Navy Chief, Admiral S M Nanda’s controversial son Suresh Nanda and his associate Sudhir Choudhary again appear on the list. Other dramatis personae from Delhi are Vinod Kumar Bindal, Sanjeev Kumar Bindal, Ranjith Sinha, Rajeev Singh, Jatinder Pal Singh, Kishore Aggarwal, Gopal Krishnan Kedia, Ravinder Kumar Khera, Pradeep Rana alias Pradeep Singh Rana, Ashish Bose alias Bablu, Mohinder Singh Sahni alias MS Sahni and Ashutosh Verma. From Mumbai, the officials have been cautioned against dealing with SD Kala, Chandan Parmar, Kartik Kothari, Sunil Kumar Narottam Shah and Rajesh Kisorilal Shah. Only one person from Chennai, Sudeendran....Readmore