Blooming ‘Dukan’
An sahib’s ‘dukan’ is blooming these days. His ‘dukan’ – say his ‘offstage deals’ – has suddenly burgeoned after a long time, and a large number of people are making rounds of his residence these days. If such people have anything to get done through him, they just knock at his door. They are adopting various ways to reach the officer. A few of them are renewing their old contacts to visit his durbar and others counting on their old acquaintances to get to him. The story does not end here. Many people have picked their way through ‘Afghanistan ke rajdhani’ to reach the officer’s court – though the way is very old, because many have already used it to get their work done. To go to Sahib through this road, one has to pay slightly higher rates. Some people are getting their work done through this ‘dukan,’ and others have been given assurances. Because Sahib knows his ‘dukan’ won’t run for a long time, he is pulling out all the stops to make as much money as possible.
Ma’am gets benefit
An officer, who was on deputation to Delhi on and returned to the state, benefited a madam. Because madam was the senior-most officer in the state bureaucracy before the officer’s return, she was made the in-charge chief secretary. After his return from Delhi, the officer became the senior-most bureaucrat. So, his comeback put the government into a flat spin. The problem was that the government should either have handed over the charge of CS to him or appointed someone else as full-fledged CS. Because the government found Madam more suitable than any other officers, it issued an order appointing her full-fledged CS after discussions with the higher-ups. The order, however, does not say whether she will get an extension, but there is no doubt that it has made madam more powerful than she was before. On the contrary, the officer who returned to the state with high hopes got a severe jolt. The order disappointed two relatives of the officer, because both thought, had Sahib become the CS, they would have been more powerful.
Deal is done
The government does not want to face any criticism over corruption. This is the reason why the senior leaders of the ruling party are keeping an eye on the government to stay away from any controversy. In spite of this, a few officers, with the support of some ministers, have begun to display their slyness. An officer posted in a department has completely taken the minister into his grip. Another officer of the department reportedly played an important role in a backstage deal between the minister and the bureaucrat. Sahib has sent carrots to the minister through a supplier. He is sending many more suppliers to the minister, so that the ties between him and the minister may get stronger and the deals are easily done. The minister is very happy with the officer, because immediately after she got the cabinet berth, the officer welcomed him with a douceur. The complicity between the minister, the bureaucrat and the other officer is being talked about in the department. Against this backdrop, the department may steal the media headlines anytime.
Upset PS
The principal secretary (PS) is upset with the newly appointed minister of the department. The officer started getting disappointed within a few days after the minister joined there. Behind the minister’s conduct stands a friend who told him that there were scopes for making a lot of money in the department, so he began to mount pressure on the officers since he received the piece of information from his friend. Although the PS has received complaints from the officers about it, yet he cannot act against the minister, and plans to get out of the department. Once the officers were very powerful, but the minister began to tighten the noose on them immediately after joining there. The minister clearly told them that if any work was done without giving him his share of carrots, he would spare none. Nobody expected him to get a cabinet berth. He himself does not know how long he will stay in the department, so he wants to make some quick bucks.
Money-wise minister
The minister of an important department took guidance from his former counterpart about how to run it, but the minister, instead of understanding its functioning, learnt how to deal with money matters. The department the minister is dealing with is a field of carrots. This is the reason why immediately after taking over the charge of the ministry, he met his previous counterpart to know about various channels through which money could be made. After the minister’s previous counterpart schooled him about how to dig up the mine of brass, he wanted some fees and told his disciple to do some of his work so that he might meet his expenses. The minister then held a meeting with the officers who also informed him about the system. Now, the minister is mulling over the piece of advice of his previous counterpart and that of the officers, so that the department may function properly and he may not sustain a loss.
Making rounds
A secretary rank officer is making rounds of the offices of three ministers for a plum posting. Sahib meets each of them separately and reels out his tale of sufferings that he endured during the rule of the previous government and curses a secretary for his present condition. The officer requested these three ministers to post him somewhere, and even told two of them to keep him in their departments, but they did not give him any assurance. Luck is not on the officer’s side. His problem is that whenever power comes into his grip, he makes money through underhand deals and fulfils his other desires. This is the reason why he cannot remain on one position for a long time. Ergo it is not known whether he will get rid of his present condition anytime soon.
