Gwalior: Gwalior Collector Anurag Chaudhary is once again in the limelight; this time regarding issuance of a bizarre order instructing the department heads to ensure the suspended grade II and IV employees’ presence at headquarters. These employees are required to be seated at one designated place which carries a nameplate ‘For Suspended Employees’.
The collector has sourced his order on the problems caused by suspended employees not reporting to headquarters which makes communication with them difficult and also processes pertaining to court cases.
Accordingly, the District Education Officer Gwalior had instructed the principals and other department staffers to implement the order for suspended teachers by making them sit at designated places in schools or offices.
However, as the clamour on the contentious provision grew, the officer rolled back his earlier order on February 25. Bhopal-based social activist Ajay Dubey commenting on the said order claimed that suspension is not any punishment as the staffer could let off the hook after a departmental enquiry. If this has to be done, why not implement this for all the suspended senior officers as well, why this discrimination in governance, questioned Dubey.
Notably, the bureaucrats have been under the scanner for alleged high-handedness in MP for a while. The BJP had been critical of the officers calling them turncoats who switched loyalties after change of guard in the state. The opposition party turned extremely aggressive after the Rajgarh collector Nidhi Nivedita had slapped BJP workers during a pro-CAA rally recently.
In recent past, Kamal Nath ministers including Panchayat and Rural Development minister Kamleshwar Patel, Forest minister Umang Singhar and others have expressed displeasure against the bureaucrats.
