Call for intervention? Tensions rise between IAS officer, local officials in Kangra over bungalow
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Dharamshala: Tensions have escalated between a top IAS officer and local officials in Kangra district, the political nerve centre of Himachal Pradesh.
At the heart of the dispute is a government bungalow that has been used by the Superintending Engineers (SE) of the Jal Shakti Vibhag for nearly three decades. However, a recent move to reassign this bungalow to an IAS officer has sparked outrage among local officials.
The situation reached a boiling point when, on the day of his retirement function, the current SE was served a notice to vacate the residence.
Adding fuel to the fire, a senior Congress cabinet minister, who is a relative of the retiring SE, was present at the retirement function, making the timing of the notice appear highly inappropriate and controversial.
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Further aggravating the matter, the retiring SE has been slapped with a penal rent of approximately Rs 2 lakh, which local officials believe is unjustified. In response, officials from the Jal Shakti Vibhag, most of whom are from Kangra, have united against what they see as injustice by the IAS cadre.
The growing divide between the local bureaucracy and the state’s elite IAS officers is becoming increasingly public, potentially undermining the government’s credibility.
Despite the gravity of the issue, senior Congress leaders have remained silent, exacerbating the feeling of betrayal among local officials. While the matter has reportedly been escalated to higher authorities, no resolution has been achieved yet.
The feud is expected to have a significant impact on the government’s image, especially in Kangra, a district that plays a critical role in Himachal Pradesh’s political landscape. With local officials and their families forming a substantial voter base, their discontent could have serious repercussions for the current regime’s popularity.
