Queen lucre
There are many stories about the night duty of a senior police officer who reaches office in the evening and stays there till late night. He holds meetings with the officers and takes feedback on how much backhander has been slipped into their pockets throughout the day. As the office remains overcrowded in the day, the officer discusses such deals at night. About this officer it is said that he needs a huge amount of money. To collect carrots, he has deployed an officer of his confidence through whom he shakes down other officers of the department. He takes feedback daily to maintain the flow of greenbacks made through underhand deals. As his hunger for money remains unsated, anxiety has begun to grip him. It is because of the fretfulness that he often yells at the employees who, too, remain tense.
Lure of liquor
Many people in the corridors of power chinwag about a principal secretary-rank officer who has fallen into the lure of liquor. So alcoholic the officer has become, that he often comes to office in a drunken state. His habit is weighing heavy on other officers of the department. Although he talks of uprightness, he wants the office to foot the bills for his drinks. He often visits big hotels in the city with his friends to enjoy a few pegs of snifter and wants the department to pop for it. But the place, where Sahib works, does not have any provisions for picking up the tab. So, the other officers have to work hard to pick up the check for the principal secretary’s draught of wine. It is heard that there is resentment among other officers of the department at the PS’s lure of liquor.
In trouble
A woman officer has become a cause for trouble to a department. Her orders had the department embroiled in controversies. An order issued recently by her kicked up a row in the department. Though the higher-ups cancelled the order, it caused a lot of embarrassment to the government. Likewise, her other orders also became a headache for the government. In the coming days, the department will be very important for some work. Any problem in the work will damage the ruling party’s prospects in the Lok Sabha election. The way Madam works indicates that she will not let it be a plain-sailing affair. Because of her recalcitrant attitude, she is not on good terms with the minister of the department. About her waywardness, the minister has complained to the Chief Minister who assured him of shifting the officer after the Lok Sabha election.
Angry officers
A couple, both IAS officers, are angry with the government. Before the announcement of election dates, the government transferred both of them to the loop line. Because there were political reasons for their transfer, they began to curse the politicians. There had been murmurs in the corridors of power about their transfer for a long time. The proposal for transferring Madame – though approved several times – was put off. But the minister of the department stuck to his guns to shift her husband. The minister fumed at the officer for a few decisions taken by him. As Sahib had the inkling that he would be shifted, he began to lobby for stopping it. Although there were pressures from the higher-ups to transfer them, both were confident of getting an important department. They are unhappy with the new place of posting.
Powerful agent
A new agent in the government has caught the attention of the people in power these days. The agent, connected to a commercial city in the state, is close to a Sahib who is giving a lot of importance to him, because the previous one had defamed him. Whosoever goes to Sahib for some work is told to meet the new intermediary. Once the deal is done through the go-between, Sahib pushes the files. Although Sahib is not directly connected to the government, he interferes in day-to-day functioning of many departments. This is the reason why many officers are feeling stewed. Apart from interfering in daily work, he demands his share of the carrot that he is investing in some big projects. Sahib has become so important that many people visit his house daily to get their work done. On the other hand, a few powerful people are watching his activities.
Sahib shocked
A quick-witted IAS officer recently received a shock. Sahib lobbied for a plum posting through two powerful persons and was confident of getting it. But Sahib received the shock when he was not given the post of his choice, and divested of the one he was holding. He has been sent to a department that the officers generally avoid. It is such a place where officers have to work hard. But a minor fault often turns into a major problem for them. Upset about his posting, the officer is now trying to understand how this has happened to him. He is waiting for the Lok Sabha election to end, so that he may lobby for a plum posting.
