How Anand is turning around the roadways, one ‘stop’ at a time!

Jaipur: Roadways Chairman Anand Kumar has taken several powers from MD Nathmal Didel and as a result, Anand Kumar has complete say and involvement in Roadway’s work. It can also be said that the reins of Roadways are in Kumar’s hands. Actually this move had become a necessity also, because being a junior officer and a ‘newcomer’, Didel was unable to give required results.

2013 batch IAS, Didel is the most junior MD in Roadway’s history. He took the chair of MD from Sandeep Verma in October 2022, who was twenty years senior to him. Thereafter, Didel left for a month long training right after taking office. Due to this, he has not been able to completely bring under his grasp the work of MD.

Last week, by changing the rules of business of Roadways, the Chairman has taken over the power of transfer and postings of depot managers and other senior officers. Apart from this, matters pertaining to purchases over twenty five crore rupees have now fallen under Chairman’s ambit. Therefore, the power of MD has been halved.

Notably, when in 2015, the rules of business in Roaways were rewritten, the Chairman and MD enjoyed similar powers in about two dozen matters. Due to this there were several clashes between the then Chairman Ravi Shankar Srivastava and MD Alok. When Sandeep Verma became CMD, he empowered the post of MD and transferred most of the powers of Chairman to MD.

However, when new Chairman Anand Kumar came at helm, he took back much of MD’s powers and invested them with himself. Sources claim that this was important since Roadway’s ‘movement’ had slowed down since Didel came to position and in fact, at the level of MD, a major lacunae occurred, in the budget presented by the state government on February 10.

The PDF of budget that was uploaded on the day had three blanks in para number 101 which was related to the roadways. The names of new bus depots and bus stands was left unspecified and when the new budget was re uploaded with corrections, it was then that the vacant spaces were filled.

The Roadways employees were not getting salary for three months and after Anand Kumar became active, with new powers, a payment of seventy two crore rupees was made to the employees for two months’ salary.

Now major decisions have to be taken in connection with purchase of new buses worth crores of rupees and this responsibility can not be left to junior officer Nathmal Didel and this is why Anand Kumar has taken the power to decide on purchases over twenty five crore rupees.

1994 batch senior officer Anand Kumar has held several important posts and assignments in the past and is a hard working, experienced and result oriented officer who will be able to give better results in Roadways as an effective Chairman.