Response : Garhwal Post Editorial “Welcome Moves” August 2, 2012

Dear Satish,

Could not agree with you more, when you say that Chief Minister Bahuguna is following a proven political dictum namely ' Good Governance is Good Politics'. Sooner the politicians realize this better it is for all stakeholders.

As regards the bureaucrats they are like knives, which could be used either way, to cut vegetables or to bleed you to death.
Any one even routinely conversant with the way the administration runs would tell you that all the so called reforms, listed by you in your edit, could have been carried out by any of the previous regimes, given the will to reform, of course given you understand what changes they have the capacity to bring about.

Past few days I have been traveling in Himachal Pradesh in connection with some work and cannot fail to notice the urban reforms like removing the plague of plastics, managing solid waste and traffic, having been carried out so effectively in a big hill city like Shimla. It is not confined to Shimla alone, I write this from Kullu and have passed through numerous small hill towns here, and the reforms is all pervading. So all these are indeed do-ables and not merely a wishful thinking.

Last May I was in Gangtok, for quite some time and one has to see the self control of transport owners, sanitation measures, over all urban planning and real time execution, and one can say that if Shimla, Gangtok can become examples of urban reforms , why not Naini Tal, Almora, Pithoragarh, and above all Dehradun.

I join you in the praise of Chief Minister Bahuguna, for his quite way of working through these over due small time reforms, and believe that the Uttarakhandis do deserve some change after years of tinkering and posturings which have led to a situation of seeing politics in almost everything where one should have been  administering and managing the affairs of the state. Do keep up the good work of applauding where it is due, like you have rightly done in this case.

I have been informed that the Chief Minister Bahuguna has lately given green signal to many pending refors like giving green signal to setting up an Advisory Tribal Council, which had been approved by no less than the President of India, many months ago ! Could some one ask for the file, using RTI, and find out who was sitting on such files and why they should not be taken to task. I suggest RTI activist should also follow this up by finding out qua RTI route, as to who heavy weights have been responsible for such inexplicable, if not outright, criminal delays, and why they should not be exposed now for their dilatory habits. This has gone on just too long to be tolerated any more  !. 

Thanks indeed for some fresh air, at long last.
Regards,
RS Tolia,
writing from Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

R S Tolia

Late Dr. R.S. Tolia, Ph.D., was former Chief Secretary ( 2003-05 ) and Chief Information Commissioner ( 2005-10) of Uttarakhand. He also served in various voluntary positions after retirement and devoted his time for Mountain Development Agenda.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Security Code *

  1. We welcome any feedback, questions or comments