Lucknow: For the burgeoning and slack bureaucracy of India`s most populous state, peace of mind is the first casualty after the saffron-robed Yogi Adityanath took over the reins as its 21st Chief Minister almost a fortnight back.
From day one, as the 44-year-old Yogi began functioning out of his suite in the VVIP guest house, bureaucrats have been burning the proverbial midnight oil to get in his good books and also to fix the "wrongs" of the predecessor government. As Adityanath inspected the Annexe office at the Shastri Bhawan, sprucing up of the dingy, unkept offices across the state began at lightening speed.
The officials lost no time in making employees read out and take the "swacchta shapath" (cleanliness oath) and wield the broom to make the offices and the premises spic n` span.
Officials like the district magistrates of Ghaziabad (Nidhi Kesharwani), Lalitpur (Roopesh Kumar), Gonda (Ashutosh Niranjan), Sant Ravidas Nagar (Suresh Kumar Singh) and Hathras (Avinash Krishna Singh) have gone into proactive mode to ensure the tehsil and collectorate offices are clean and drinking water is available for people coming to meet them.
Adityanath`s surprise inspection of the Hazratganj police station in the state capital has also spurred the men-in-khakhi into action, with many happily wielding the broom and cleaning up police stations. This seemingly has annoyed former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav so much so that he told mediapersons last week that he did not know that "adhikaari itni acchi jhaadoo lagate hai, warna main bhi inse khoob jhaadoo lagwata" (had I known the officals can sweep so well, I too would have got them to wield the broom).
Inspector General of Police (Lucknow) A. Satish Ganesh has been conducting daily inspections at various police stations, ensuring they are clean and that complainants are attended to in a proper manner. As a result of a diktat from Adityanand, referred to as "maharaj ji" by the faithful, almost all police stations now have earthen pitchers (ghadas) full of clean drinking water and jaggery to go with it.
The new Chief Minister`s "desire" that officials work for 18-20 hours has also sent jitters down the spine of the babudom.
The effect is for all to see as at a public holiday -- Jhulelal Jayanti -- contrary to deserted offices earlier, government offices were abuzz with activity as many senior officials were spotted working, preparing presentations for the next review meetings that the chief minister`s office has scheduled over the next few weeks.
Pictures of Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav -- the presiding deities of the past dispensation, have been consigned to the store rooms and smiling portraits of Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi now occupy the place of pride in all major offices.
Time was when government vehicles with blue bacons could be spotted till as late as 10 a.m. in the popular Lohia and Janeshwar Misra parks. They have suddenly gone missing. Fitness freaks in the bureaucracy now wrap up their morning walks early to be at the office by 9.30 a.m., something which was termed "flexible working hours" during the previous government. Gutkaa, paan and paan masaala which hitherto were part of the `nawaabi rehan sehan` (princely lifestyle) now stand banned and anyone found chewing these prohibited items is hauled up.
On Friday, a driver in the VVIP fleet of the Chief Minister`s cavalcade was fined Rs 500 by the Secretariat Administration Department (SAD) for chewing tobacco in the secretariat premises.
