‘Hunter wali madam’ new BSSC chairperson
The Bihar government has made a major administrative reshuffle by appointing 1990-batch (retd) IPS officer Shobha Ohatkar as the new chairperson of the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC). The General Administration Department has issued a notification. Ohatkar, who retired from the post of director general of the Home Guards and Fire Services on June 30, will now take charge of the commission, which has earlier been mired in controversy. When Ohatkar was in service, she earned the sobriquet of “Hunter Wali Madam” for her tough actions. With this appointment, it is expected that the commission’s functioning will gain momentum.
Dry tipplers rush to neighbouring states
More and more people from dry Bihar are visiting religious places like Deoghar in Jharkhand and Varanasi in UP to consume alcohol. During an awareness programme at Lok Bhavan in Patna, even CM Samrat Choudhary admitted, “I know people from Bihar have started visiting places like Deoghar, Varanasi, and Kushinagar frequently since there is no prohibition in those places, whereas complete prohibition is in force in Bihar. Some people travel to those states for worshipping deities or other reasons, but the impact of prohibition in public places is clearly visible in Bihar.” He, however, credited ex-CM Nitish Kumar for declaring the state dry.
Panchayati raj minister saves his son’s chair
Bihar Panchayati Raj minister Deepak Prakash is likely to continue on the post even after the Supreme Court’s adverse remarks against him. After the apex court sought to know from the Bihar government as to how Prakash was serving as a minister without being a member of the House, BJP MLC Devesh Kumar was asked to resign from membership of Bihar Legislative Council to pave way for Prakash’s nomination as a member of the Upper House. Prakash’s father, Upendra Kushwaha, a former union minister, managed to save his son’s ministerial berth. A political activist rightly observed, “After all, the issue concerned his son’s political career.”
Ramashankar
Our correspondent in Bihar
ramashankar@newindianexpress.com
