(From left) Parimal Nathwani and J.P. Narayan Singh

Ranchi, March 31: The newly elected Rajya Sabha members are yet to take the oath of office, but they have begun to chalk out action plan to give facelift to Jharkhand.

Reliance Industries Limited group president Parimal Nathwani is desperately looking for two retired Jharkhand cadre IAS officers to prepare the blueprint for the development of the state where more than 54 per cent people still live below the poverty line. He also intends to set up an office in Ranchi, where common people will be free to walk in with their problems.

Nathwani told The Telegraph that his men were looking for a suitable place in Ranchi to start the office.

Once the office becomes functional, he would spend maximum possible time in the state capital.

“My office will become functional in a month or so. For working for the development of Jharkhand, I need a few efficient helping hands. We are looking for two retired IAS officers from the Jharkhand cadre, who ought to be well acquainted with the real problems of the state and suggest remedies,” said Nathwani, at present based in Gujarat.

Running a legal aid clinic for the weaker sections of the society and judicious expenditure of the MP local area development fund are among his other important priorities. He also intends to meet the chief minister soon with his priority list and seek his help to ensure that work begins in positive direction at the earliest.

BJP member Jai Prakash Narayan Singh, who was also recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, maintained that setting up an authority having officials from both Bihar and Jharkhand for the smooth conduct of Shravani Mela at Deoghar was at the top of his priority list.

In the absence of proper administrative control, mishaps take place every now and then during the fair. Last year too over a dozen persons were killed in stampede on the temple premises.

Completion of rail projects linking Giridih with Hazaribagh, Koderma and Ranchi is Singh’s another priority area. Though the project was started six years ago, it has virtually been abandoned. Singh would first raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha. But if it fails to yield any result, he would resort to mass movement.

Talking about the MP local area development fund, Singh said: “You can’t satisfy all with just Rs 2 crore in hand. Then why not ‘give it’ to the party, which has given me such a great opportunity?”