Airport officialshappy with CM

Chief minister Nitish Kumar is popular everywhere, but the airport. If a survey is conducted there, he might be rated as one of the most unpopular chief ministers because his government has done precious little for the improvement of Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport.mployees of various airlines and Airports Authority of India (AAI) claimed that Nitish’s government was doing everything to ensure the airport closed down. “Not only has the state government denied additional land for extending the runway, it has also refused to trim trees according to the demand of AAI,” said an officer of the airport. The reason for the “hostility” towards the airport is being largely attributed to Nitish’s desire to set up an airport in Nalanda. The chief minister said he wanted an airport in Nalanda for connectivity to Nalanda International University. But Patna airport employees are unconvinced. “He has to realise that nobody will like to spend Rs 1,000 for going to an airport 50km away from the state capital. He might as well shift the capital to Nalanda,” said another airport officer.

Lalu vote bait to woo Congress

JD chief Lalu Prasad will reportedly take all his MLAs to Ranchi during the UPA’s presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to the neighbouring state’s capital. Lalu has assured the UPA’s presidential candidate that he would use his influence to get Independent MLAs in Jharkhand vote in his favour. “The decision of chief minister Nitish Kumar to support Mukherjee appears to have worried Lalu and the latter is taking all steps to prove his loyalty to the Congress,” said a JD(U) MP. In terms of numbers, the RJD chief has very little to offer compared to what Nitish has — 118 MLAs compared to just 22 of Lalu’s. The RJD chief must be hoping that Nitish sticks to his anti-Congress stand and the support to Mukherjee was just an exception.

K in role in ransfers

Frequent transfers appear to be the order of the day. If a senior IAS officer is to be believed, the influence of money on transfers is not the only worrying factor. “Relatives of ministers play active role in getting officials choice posts,” said an IAS officer, stressing that a minister’s son struck a deal of Rs 50 lakh with an officer in lieu of a good posting. The saving grace is chief minister Nitish Kumar does not have a kin meddling in this affair, the officer said, recalling that the relatives of ministers played an extra-constitutional role even during the Lalu-Rabri regime.

Past uncomfortable

Two ministers reminded a senior IAS officer, known to be a glib talker and in the habit of making unsubstantiated claims, of his proximity to the Lalu-Rabri regime in a recent meeting after they were frustrated with his assertions. “Are you not the same officer who shaved off his hair when the mother of RJD chief Lalu Prasad died?” a minister asked the officer, leaving him red-faced. “No officer would like to be reminded of his proximity with the previous regime. Several politicians close to the RJD chief earlier are now with Nitish,” said a government employee, a witness to the conversation between the IAS officer and the two ministers.