SHIMLA, January 28: Himachal Pradesh Government is in the thick of a new controversy over the alleged misuse of official phones and fax-machines of the state secretariat control room and election control room to transmit the messages of the state employees' body in support of Congress in the elections.The controversy, which has come to light within two days of the removal of returning officer of Mandi Subash Ahluwalia by the Election Commission, has put the government in the dock. State Chief Secretary A.N.Vidyarthi was in the eye of a storm ever since his name was discussed in the meeting of the Pradesh Election Committee (PEC) for allotment of Congress ticket from the Lahual-Spiti assembly constituency.
While the BJP and the HVC have sent separate complaints to the Election Commission listing series of poll improprieties, evidence available here on misuse of the fax machine is likely to invite fresh trouble. A rebel employees body Himachal Employees Confederation today handed over some proofs toGovernor V.S. Rama Devi about the state NGO Federation leaders having allegedly misused official phones and fax-machines to send their messages to newspaper offices pledging an open support to Congress.
Three of federation leaders viz Gopal Dass Verma, Sangroli and L S Machhan had yesterday sent a signed press note bearing telephone no 221658 (election control room) pledging financial, emotional and physical support to the Congress in order to bring Virbhadra Singh back to power. They claimed having taken one-month leave for the campaign work and listed out benefits given to the employees by the government.
State chief secretary, when contacted, confirmed that the NGO Federation leaders had used the fax machine of the control room. ``I have directed commissioner-cum-secretary, General Administrative Department (GAD), to look into the matter and initiate appropriate action,'' he told ENS. The CS claimed that strict instructions had been issued to all departments, branches including the Chief Minister'ssecretariat to avoid use of phones and fax machines for any ``political'' purpose till elections were over.
The NGO Federation leaders had sent statement from another fax 21154 installed at the secretariat control room, to The Indian Express giving an open call to the employees to support Congress in the elections and defeat ``anti-employees'' leaders like Shanta Kumar and Sukh Ram. The Employees Confederation leaders sought from the governor that either an appropriate action be taken against the government for allowing misuse of the telephones and fax- machines for the Congress campaign or alternatively, the opposition parties should also be provided these facilities.
The fax-misuse controversy, in fact is not new for the state government, which earlier had resorted to alleged violations of the model code by opening hundreds of new schools, upgrading standards of existing ones and announcing sops for poverty-prone sections besides regularisation of over 10,000 daily wagers just before recommendingdissolution of the assembly. The service extension given to R. K. Srivastava, Director General Home-Guards, had already recoiled on the government forcing it to remove him after the Election Commission sent an ultimatum and threatened not to deploy home guards on poll duty if Srivastava remained in position.
Over a hundred new schools and upgraded schools, which were notified in the back dates was yet another instance. This was also detected when Election Commission notified certain schools as polling stations. ``For example, a polling station notified is a primary school but the same school was upgraded as a middle school this month in back date'' alleges BJP vice president Khushi Ram Balnatah.
The election department today claimed that fresh instructions were received from the EC restraining the government for any new up-gradation or opening of a school. ``Election Commission, however, has no objection to implementation of schemes announced before the dissolution of the assembly'' says senior electionofficial.
While removal of the Mandi deputy commissioner (also returning officer), has brought embarrassment for the government in view of serious complaints against him and other controversies, the government was also forced to shift 17 tehsildars and sub-divisional magistrates, who had completed over four years of service at a single station or district.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
