Friday, 26 November 2021 | Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
Nervous minister
The speculation making rounds in the political circles that chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami could either change his constituency or take the plunge from two seats in the upcoming assembly election has unnerved a senior minister of the Himalayan state. The predicament of the minister is understandable since he has nurtured his constituency well and has represented it for five terms. He also was said to be grooming his daughter so that she can take his political legacy forward. However recent visit of CM Dhami to his ancestral village which falls in the assembly constituency held by the minister has fuelled the speculations that Dhami is interested in contesting from the area. Considering the virtual free hand given by the central leadership of the saffron party to young CM it would not be difficult for him to change his seat or contest from two places if he wishes.
Contentious Cell
A cell ostensibly created to give a fillip to the process of implementation of the much acclaimed New Education Policy (NEP) has become a bone of contention between the minister and the Babu heading the education department of the state. When the minister realised that the Babu not only set up the cell but also deployed 13 employees including teachers without caring to put the matter in his knowledge he directed that the cell should be dissolved. However when he was informed that the creation of the cell is mandated in the NEP, the minister ordered the Babu to drop those who have been shifted from other districts to the plum posting in the education directorate. Instead of following the orders of the minister the officer who has recently returned to the state after having a long stint in centre during which he also served in the office of the former education minister Nishank has dug his heels on the issue which has left the minister fuming and stuned.
Toilet tussle
Lack of space for construction of public toilets in Dehradun could sabotage the grand plan of the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) to improve its ranking further in the next Swachh Survekshan. In the survey conducted by the union ministry of housing and urban affairs the availability, access and cleanliness of public toilets would be an important factor for determining the ranking of the different cities on parameters of cleanliness. Even as the officials of the MCD are scratching their heads to get land for the public toilets so that the city fares better in the survey the Mayor of Dehradun is gearing him up on the political front and has set his eyes for making a grand entry in the state assembly. With the tactical support of his mentor and former chief minister TSR, Mayor of Dehradun has thrown his hat for the saffron party’s ticket from Dehradun Cantt assembly constituency for the upcoming assembly elections. In his endeavour to get the ticket the Mayor is harping about the recently released report of Swachh Survekshan in which Dehradun was placed among 100 cleanest cities of the country.
