Patna, the capital city of Bihar, is currently experiencing both political unrest and administrative changes. Recently, several IAS officers were transferred on Friday night, which seemed like a normal occurrence. However, when the news of Kapil Ashok being appointed as the new District Magistrate of Patna in place of Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh came out, questions started to arise. According to the notification from the General Administration Department, Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Jeevika and also given the responsibility of Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister. However, it is being speculated that this is akin to a demotion for him, and it is being questioned whether there was any conflict between Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh and K.K. Pathak, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department.
Recently, Patna DM Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh issued a directive to the Education Department’s Additional Chief Secretary, K.K. Pathak, in a way that challenged him. This directive involved the issuance of departmental letters regarding the closure of schools during cold waves and extreme cold weather. According to K.K. Pathak, the District Magistrate should not make a decision to close schools without consulting the Education Department. However, after this, the Patna DM issued an order to close schools until January 23, taking into consideration the cold weather. Subsequently, this date was extended until January 25.
Furthermore, the Patna DM also stated that the Education Department should conduct a CRPC study. This power has been given to the District Magistrate. It is necessary to close schools for the safety of children’s lives, and that is why such orders are issued. The DM also claimed that the Education Department does not have the authority to challenge his decision to close schools under the jurisdiction of the District Magistrate. The DM has the authority to impose Section 144. The Patna DM also stated that the Education Department should study the provisions, as there is nothing like that. We have used our powers to handle the emergency situation and close schools.
This controversy did not end here, and after this letter, the Education Department also issued a letter in which many questions were asked to the DM and a response was demanded. Obviously, this dispute over the jurisdiction of the Education Department and District Magistrates caught the attention of the media. It is now being said that since K.K. Pathak is considered to be a trusted officer of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Chandrashekhar Singh had to pay the price for the dispute with him. However, many experts deny this claim and say that it is a routine process and this transfer was made under the same process.
पटना में राजनीतिक और प्रशासनिक उथल पुथल चल रही है। पिछले शुक्रवार को कई आईएएस अधिकारियों का तबादला किया गया जो सामान्य खबर लगी। लेकिन जब पटना डीएम डॉ चंद्रशेखर सिंह के स्थान पर शीर्षत कपिल अशोक को नया जिलाधिकारी बनाने की खबर आई तो इस पर सवाल उठे। यहां तक कि डॉ. चंद्रशेखर सिंह को शिक्षा विभाग के अपर मुख्य सचिव के साथ टकराने के कारण उन्हें डिमोशन देने की बात भी हो रही है। हालांकि, इसे शासकीय लिहाज से डिमोशन नहीं कहा जा सकता है। यह विवाद उठने का कारण डीएम चंद्रशेखर सिंह द्वारा शिक्षा विभाग के अपर मुख्य सचिव केके पाठक के उस निर्देश की चुनौती देना था, जिसमें शीतलहर और ठंड में स्कूलों को बंद करने की बात थी। इसके बाद पटना डीएम द्वारा एक पत्र जारी कर स्कूलों को 23 जनवरी तक बंद करने का आदेश दिया गया, जो बाद में 25 जनवरी तक बढ़ा दिया गया। इसके बाद शिक्षा विभाग और डीएम के बीच विवाद हुआ और उसके बाद शिक्षा विभाग ने डीएम से जवाब मांगा है। यह विवाद मीडिया में भी चर्चा का विषय बना हुआ है।
