Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and IAS KK Pathak.
– Photo: Amar Ujala Digital
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Nothing happened to senior Indian Administrative Service officer KK Pathak, who was seen in the video abusing officers and insulting the mothers and sisters of Bihar and Biharis in the departmental meeting room of the Secretariat located in Patna, the capital of Bihar, in 11 months. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar left no stone unturned and the minister who clashed with him, Prof. Chandrashekhar’s department was changed and completed. Now Pathak has clashed with his junior IAS officers. In view of the severe cold wave forecast issued by the Meteorological Department and the latest condition, the District Magistrates had ordered to stop physical education in all schools and coaching institutes up to class eight. Pathak has considered the DM’s order as his opposition. The Director (Secondary Education) of the Education Department has ordered the District Education Officers of such districts not to listen to the DM and open schools.
Read this letter issued about DM of Patna
In a state, just as the orders of the Chief Secretary are administratively accepted, similarly the administrative head of the district is its District Magistrate. This explanation is everywhere. DM is considered responsible for any untoward incident in the district. According to the rights and duties, till now the DM has been issuing the final orders regarding holidays in schools in case of extreme cold or extreme heat or deluge etc. Under this authority, late in the evening of 21st January, Patna DM had issued an order to keep holidays till 23rd January in schools up to class 8th in view of the weather condition and forecast. Private-government schools and coaching institutes were included in this order. Now Director of Secondary Education Kanhaiya Prasad Srivastava has declared the order of closure of government schools under Patna DM’s order number 997 as illegal. It is written that the DM of Patna has issued this order without taking the permission of KK Pathak, Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department. Only a few DMs like Nalanda, Gaya, Patna made such orders public, while the rest remained in a state of doubt on Monday.
KK Pathak’s order – ensure opening of schools
,Amar Ujala‘ had expressed the fear of such a crisis in the news published on Sunday evening. Along with this, it was told that the DM, who was afraid of KK Pathak, who had succeeded in removing the minister from the chair, was not able to extend the leave even after knowing the condition of severe cold. A few hours later, when Patna DM declared holiday, the news was updated. Usually, only after the Patna DM, others issue such orders, but the DMs of Nalanda and Gaya had already issued the order. The rest were not doing it because after joining duty, KK Pathak wanted to know from all the divisional officers what was the justification for giving leave in the name of weather? Along with this he had said that orders should not be issued without his permission. But, when the Patna DM issued the order late on Sunday evening, now on Monday the Director of Secondary Education, citing the departmental letter number 12 of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, wrote that the Patna DM did not take permission from him for this. Therefore, District Education Officers should ensure that schools open on 23rd January.
Government will open now, private too can do as per their wish
According to the letter signed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Education Department, the opening of government schools is certain. It will have to open on Tuesday. Government schools in every district will have to open. Not opening means that the District Education Officer there may hear abusive words from his department’s Additional Chief Secretary KK Pathak as per the old records or may also come under the scanner of action. Pathak’s orders, which were successful in getting the minister removed from the chair, will not be applicable to private schools and coaching institutes, but it is possible that when government schools do not obey the orders, private ones may also act arbitrarily. This situation will be very difficult for District Magistrate level IAS officers. In such a situation, the matter may escalate and the senior-junior fight may reach in front of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar like the minister-reader fight.