People's movement for honest officers
Times of India
13 Aug 2007, 0432 hrs IST,
BANGALORE: A people's movement is gathering momentum in two towns of the state, protesting the transfer of two upright officers. The battle lines seem to be drawn between people's power and the powers that be.
Residents of Hubli-Dharwad and KGF towns have stomped the streets in protest against the transfer of honest officials in whom they say they ‘saw hope'.
While people staged rasta-rokos to criticise the transfer of IAS officer and Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) commissioner, P Manivannan, residents of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) have decided to observe a bandh to protest the transfer of IPS officer K V Sridhar. The Kumaraswamy government had effected their transfers last week.
But, why are people taking to the roads in support of only these two officers? The answer is simple: These officers distinguished themselves with their integrity, their grasp of people's problems and sincere efforts to find solutions.
Manivannan, for instance, chose not to be the typical bureaucrat who worked in an air-conditioned room. Instead, he was on the field each day for over 12 hours, interacting with people. In fact, when he took over as commissioner three years ago, the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad were described as a ‘big village' because of lack of development, which was only increasing people's frustration.
Even before people could realise what was happening with HDMC, Manivannan restructured the internal administration by giving thrust to decentralisation. He spent Rs 30 crore on construction of roads. Next, he took on the builder-lobby through a demolition drive against illegal buildings. The builder-politician nexus got him transferred in July 2006, but public protests forced the then Dharam Singh government to cancel his transfer. His deft handling of grievances brought him to the public eye. So much so, when the Kumaraswamy government transferred him recently, people became suspicious. The government had to say that it was a routine transfer effected once in three years.
In the case of transfer of KGF superintendent of police K V Sridhar, the residents of the once-mining town are not enthused about the government's decision. In the last 14 months, the town has seen four IPS officers. Sridhar was first posted as SP to KGF on May 20 last year, but was shunted out within four days following political pressure.
The police administration in the town degenerated as everything was controlled by local politicians. But people saw hope when Sridhar was posted again as SP on July 9 this year. He got the lower-rung policemen to respond to people's problems. Nine personnel were suspended for dereliction of duty. A police party deployed to provide security to a politician's under-construction house was withdrawn. He curtailed the influence of the cable mafia. But before people could smile, transfer orders were issued to him on August 8.
Irked, the residents have appealed to the government to reinstate him. They have called for a KGF bandh on Monday.
Manivannan and Sridhar's cases are a pointer to the fact that people do protest when government uses the power of transfer to shunt upright officers.
rakesh.prakash@timesgroup.com
Times of India
13 Aug 2007, 0432 hrs IST,
BANGALORE: A people's movement is gathering momentum in two towns of the state, protesting the transfer of two upright officers. The battle lines seem to be drawn between people's power and the powers that be.
Residents of Hubli-Dharwad and KGF towns have stomped the streets in protest against the transfer of honest officials in whom they say they ‘saw hope'.
While people staged rasta-rokos to criticise the transfer of IAS officer and Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) commissioner, P Manivannan, residents of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) have decided to observe a bandh to protest the transfer of IPS officer K V Sridhar. The Kumaraswamy government had effected their transfers last week.
But, why are people taking to the roads in support of only these two officers? The answer is simple: These officers distinguished themselves with their integrity, their grasp of people's problems and sincere efforts to find solutions.
Manivannan, for instance, chose not to be the typical bureaucrat who worked in an air-conditioned room. Instead, he was on the field each day for over 12 hours, interacting with people. In fact, when he took over as commissioner three years ago, the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad were described as a ‘big village' because of lack of development, which was only increasing people's frustration.
Even before people could realise what was happening with HDMC, Manivannan restructured the internal administration by giving thrust to decentralisation. He spent Rs 30 crore on construction of roads. Next, he took on the builder-lobby through a demolition drive against illegal buildings. The builder-politician nexus got him transferred in July 2006, but public protests forced the then Dharam Singh government to cancel his transfer. His deft handling of grievances brought him to the public eye. So much so, when the Kumaraswamy government transferred him recently, people became suspicious. The government had to say that it was a routine transfer effected once in three years.
In the case of transfer of KGF superintendent of police K V Sridhar, the residents of the once-mining town are not enthused about the government's decision. In the last 14 months, the town has seen four IPS officers. Sridhar was first posted as SP to KGF on May 20 last year, but was shunted out within four days following political pressure.
The police administration in the town degenerated as everything was controlled by local politicians. But people saw hope when Sridhar was posted again as SP on July 9 this year. He got the lower-rung policemen to respond to people's problems. Nine personnel were suspended for dereliction of duty. A police party deployed to provide security to a politician's under-construction house was withdrawn. He curtailed the influence of the cable mafia. But before people could smile, transfer orders were issued to him on August 8.
Irked, the residents have appealed to the government to reinstate him. They have called for a KGF bandh on Monday.
Manivannan and Sridhar's cases are a pointer to the fact that people do protest when government uses the power of transfer to shunt upright officers.
rakesh.prakash@timesgroup.com
