Removal of IAS blow to Chhattisgarh bureaucrats

    Raipur, October 25, 2008: Removal of three senior IAS officers by the Election Commission was a severe blow to the image of bureaucrats of Chhattisgarh.

     Similar thing had happened in the previous 2003 and 2004 assembly and Lok Sabha elections but it seems the bureaucrats have not learnt any thing, a senior Secretary told the ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com.

    The Full Election Commission yesterday night removed two District Collectors and a Commissioner after found its directives for a free and fair poll in Chhattisgarh had not properly been implemented.

     Raipur District Collector Sonmani Borah, Kanker District Collector K R Pisda and Bastar Commissioner Ganesh Shankar Mishra were removed unceremoniously after the Commission had a review meeting with the District Collectors, SPs and other top field officials to take stock of the preparedness.

     Vikas Sil and Sahla Nigar would be the new District Collectors of Raipur and Kanker respectively where as Health Secretary R S Viswakarma would be the new Bastar Commissioner, a GAD order said.

    Several senior IAS and IPS officials said today in the 2003 assembly election BJP had leveled allegation that some of the IAS officers were having the habits of calling the then Chief Minister Ajit Jogi as daddy or uncle.

    If Borah was one of the close confidants of the previous Chief Minister Jogi he also became the hot favourite of current Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh. But his action of loyal to the king failed to save this time from the wrath of the Election Commission.

    Bastar Commissioner was also one of the favourite of the Chief Minister and his closeness cost him his post, the officials said.

    For the fault of his junior IAS officer, who had a fight with the Kanker BJP MP Sohan Potai, Pisda was shown the door.

    But the first list of removal of senior IAS officers had brought disgrace to the image of the state bureaucracy, many in D K S Bhawan felt.