What will be the end result of Verma’s ‘adventure’?

Jaipur: Senior IAS officer Sandeep Verma has become a hot topic of discussion these days in the state bureaucratic and political circles.

He has carried out such an audacious step that hasn’t ever been seen in the over seven decades of bureaucratic history of Rajasthan.

He has levelled serious allegations against a powerful minister Dhariwal for misusing his rights and violating the prescribed rules and laws in the day-to-day functioning of JDA, while also pointing out the major drawbacks in the working of a renowned institution of the state government.

In a daring move, Verma has shot an eight-page letter to JDA Commissioner Gaurav Goyal in this regard, and the letter has gone viral as the entire matter has been picked up by the regional media as well.

Those who know the working of the higher bureaucracy, know, that most of the officials prefer to save themselves than getting embroiled in a direct confrontation or argument and their effort is always aimed at ensuring that the ‘higher ups’ don’t get disgruntled.

To save their position, the officers even go to the extent of not following the rules and laws. In his circumstances, it would certainly be termed a heroic but dare-devil act on Sandeep Verma’s part to come out with such a ‘letter-bomb’, which has shocked the state government. Observers believe that through his act, Verma has exposed himself to drastic actions.

The 1992 batch IAS officer Sandeep Verma loves to read and write and has authored various articles and papers on difficult and serious subjects on an international level. He has given several lectures in various famous universities in the nation and in other countries also and this trend continues today as well.

He is called at the Mussoorie Training Academy to give lectures regularly. Verma has a superb grasp on rules and laws related to various subjects and in bureaucratic quarters, he is sometimes referred to as a ‘legal-worm’. He is a strict follower of the rule book and therefore, he does not give in when asked to budge from the rule book when it comes to state work.

Due to this work ethic of his, he is often at friction with ‘powers’ and therefore, courts controversies also. Over time, his image known to people is that of a stubborn officer.

While serving as Divisional Commissioner in Jodhpur, he filed an appeal in the High Court even though the state government was not interested to do so.

As Secretary in PHED, his tussle with Principal Secretary of the department JC Mohanty was well known.

When he was in the Revenue Department, he showed the mirror to RIICO on legal and policy matters and snatched the power of land allotment from RIICO, keeping it under his department.

He does not shy away from teaching a lesson or two to officials, who display irregularities during official meetings. In the February 21 meeting at JDA, he gave a good ‘dressing down’ to FA and Law Officer.

Although old issues came up and were forgotten, this time around, it appears that Sandeep Verma has stirred the hornet’s nest by opening a front against a powerful UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal, and thereby the state government. Even senior bureaucrats are unable to gauge the ‘end result’ of this ‘confrontation’!