DDO -I Mehsana (18)

 18. District Development Officer–I (Mehsana)

August 1989 was approaching, and as per tradition, we were all awaiting our promotion orders as District Development Officers (DDOs). Meanwhile, Amarsinh Chaudhary’s government was under attack from both the opposition and internal party critics. Three consecutive drought years had weakened the state treasury, and irregularities in the Rafaliya cattle camp had damaged the government’s reputation.

Although work on the Narmada Dam had begun in 1987, the government did not receive the political credit it expected. The practice of using public funds for political publicity was still uncommon, and even the Prime Minister’s rally organized by the Chief Minister failed to strengthen his political standing. On the contrary, the use of 50–100 State Transport buses to bring villagers to the rally drew widespread criticism.

At that time, elections for 19 District Panchayats and 184 Taluka Panchayats were due. As if the DDOs were responsible for winning elections, the government decided to retain the current DDOs in their posts and promote our entire batch to Deputy Secretaries in the Secretariat instead. One of our batchmates had already been transferred from Tharad Prant Officer to the Secretariat as Under Secretary about six to eight months earlier. Ultimately, nine of us were promoted as Deputy Secretaries.

Deputy Secretary (Capital Project)

I was promoted in the Senior Scale came with a posting as Deputy Secretary in the Roads & Buildings Department (R&B), in charge of Capital Project. The Secretary, Shri Vinay Kamdar, was a gentle and refined person who assigned me charge of the Local Establishment and the Capital Project branch.

However, at that age, leaving a district posting and sitting in the Secretariat was hardly appealing. Still, because of my dual responsibilities — the Headquarters (Mahakum) and Capital Project, I gradually became more influential within the department and in the Gandhinagar R&B Circle.

Within my first month, exercising the administrative authority of my new post, I reassigned Clerks and Assistants (Deputy Section Officers) who had remained in the same branch for over three years. I also introduced a rule that peons could draw washing allowance only if they wore their official uniform, a small but necessary change. 

Meanwhile, a government resolution to allot land plots to government employees and officers had been issued, and because I handled the related correspondence, my name became well-known among the beneficiaries.

Around that time, the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple was coming up in Gandhinagar. I met the Swamis in pairs who visited for administrative work, marking my first acquaintance with the BAPS organization. During my tenure, a land allotment resolution for the Gandhinagar Akshardham project was passed.

The Amarsinh Chaudhary government, despite extending benefits across all sectors, was beginning to face a tide of anti-incumbency. During one occasion when I met the Chief Minister, I casually asked why our entire batch had been posted in the Secretariat instead of districts. He replied candidly that it was because of the upcoming Panchayat elections — and assured that after the elections, all of us would be posted as District Development Officers.

Appointment as District Development Officer, Mehsana

By early March 1990, the Congress Party had become increasingly anxious about a possible defeat in the upcoming Gujarat Legislative Assembly elections. Chimanbhai Patel was active, working on strategies for his political comeback, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was strengthening its organization with long-term planning. Within the Congress, a large faction wanted to revive Madhavsinh Solanki’s charisma of 1980 and 1985 and was pressing to replace Chief Minister Amarsinh Chaudhary.

To reconcile the growing rift between the dissidents and the Chief Minister, a meeting was held in Delhi, attended by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. One of the complaints made against the Chief Minister was that “officers now listen more to opposition leaders than to those of the ruling party.”

Among those who made such a representation was Ishwarsinh Chavda, the President of the Mehsana District Panchayat.

Following the meeting, the Chief Minister immediately phoned his secretary from Delhi. That evening, around 6:10 p.m., just as I was about to leave my office, the Chief Minister’s Secretary, Mr. Pravinbhai Laheri, called:

“Parmar, please come to my chamber.”

I went there, and he placed a Certificate of Transfer of Charge (CTC) before me and said:

“Sign this. You are appointed as the District Development Officer (DDO) of Mehsana. You must take charge immediately. A vehicle from the District Panchayat will come to pick you up.”

Mehsana — a district known for its strong personalities and political vibrancy — and my native village lay only about 25 kilometers away. My taluka was then Viramgam in Ahmedabad District, but all the neighboring villages around my native place belonged to Mehsana. I had not forgotten the communal mindset I had witnessed during the 1969 riots, so I felt a moment of unease. But there was no alternative, a government order is a government order.

So, I set off to take charge as District Development Officer, Mehsana.

At that time, Mehsana District was vast — it included what is now Patan District and the present Kalol and Mansa talukas of Gandhinagar District. Its Members of Parliament, MLAs, District Panchayat members, and Taluka Panchayat presidents were all outspoken, assertive, and fearless individuals. Ishwarsinh Chavda, the District Panchayat President, wielded considerable influence.

At 50 kilograms in weight and five feet three inches tall, I entered the DDO’s chamber in Mehsana. My personal secretary, Sathwara, briefed me with preliminary information, and officers came one by one to introduce themselves. The official DDO vehicle, a Fiat car, was still with my predecessor. When the subject of files came up, I simply said:

“Send the files to the Circuit House — I’ll go through them tonight.”

Disposal of Files in Hundreds 

After a full day of formal visits and introductory meetings, I entered the room allotted to me at the Circuit House in Mehsana. But what was this! — piles of files everywhere. The files were stacked along all four walls, so much so that even to reach the bed, one would have to jump over files.

I called the peon and asked, “Why on earth have you sent so many files here?”

He chuckled and replied, “Sir, you told us to send all the files you wanted to review to the Circuit House. Mr. G.D. Vyas had left everything pending for the last three and a half months because of internal disputes.”

It was the monsoon season, damp and muggy, and the room looked more like a junkyard than an office. Having worked in slums earlier, I wasn’t afraid of bacteria, but the sheer volume of pending work made my head spin. Still, I was not one to retreat from a battlefield.

Having learned the administrative ropes at Dahod with determination, I picked up my pen and began clearing files one by one. I worked late into the night and resumed early every morning until nine. Within a week, the backlog was cleared and in those seven days, I came to understand the Mehsana District Panchayat inside and out. That experience became so valuable that it helped me throughout the rest of my career.

I had conquered the files of Mehsana but the real battle was still ahead.

Official Car of DDO

Although I had assumed charge, 15 days passed and the former DDO still hadn’t returned the official Fiat car. When I requested it, he said,

“Not until the petrol I filled is used up. If you want it sooner, pay for the fuel in the tank.”

I measured the petrol, paid ₹239, and took charge of the vehicle.

Team of Officers 

It was a big district with more than 10,000 employees. We had a strong team of officers in Mehsana. Some of them were. 

• Deputy DDO Sharma — calm and precise on paper.

• DRDA Director K.D. Upadhyay — dependable and self-driven.

• District Health Officer Dr. Kaswekar, and later Dr. Ranawat — both effective administrators and their big team of medical officers and workers.

• Deputy District Health Officer Dr. Ranchhod Patel — equally competent.

• Executive Engineers and their team of civil engineers delivered results promptly.

• Taluka Development Officers (TDOs) were seasoned in handling grassroots-level panchayat politics.

Among the District and Taluka Panchayat leaders, some were outspoken, some pragmatic. There were so many Shankars and Ishwars that everyone was identified by their surnames — Shankar Guru, Shankar Faltu, Shankar Tilvo; Ishwarsinh, Ishwar Bagdo, and so on. The President of the Chanasma Taluka Panchayat, Ishwarbhai, had a son who served as Executive Engineer with me earlier in Panchmahal.

Lok Sabha Elections and Political Upheaval in Delhi

It was said that a clash between two corporate houses in Delhi dragged national politics into turmoil.

During V.P. Singh’s tenure as Finance Minister, he began strict action against Reliance Industries over alleged customs duty evasion reported by the Wadia Group. When Dhirubhai Ambani sought the Prime Minister’s help, V.P. Singh was soon shifted to the Defence Ministry in January 1987.

Around the same time, the Bofors scandal broke on Swiss Radio, giving V.P. Singh an opportunity to strike back. Friendships turned into rivalries — “Dost dost na raha.”

Within four months, Rajiv Gandhi’s image took a massive hit. In April 1987, V.P. Singh resigned from the Cabinet and the Congress Party, joining the Janata Dal.

A united opposition — socialists, communists, and the BJP — rallied behind him. The media portrayed V.P. Singh as the new political hero, while Rajiv Gandhi’s once-clean image was marred by allegations of corruption.

To contain the damage, Rajiv advanced the 9th Lok Sabha elections by a month — but it was too late.

In 1984, he had won a record 414 out of 541 seats.

In November 1989, he managed only 198 seats, while V.P. Singh won 143 with opposition support and became Prime Minister of India.

During this 1989 Lok Sabha election, I had the privilege of serving as the Returning Officer for the Patan Constituency.

Collector Yogendra Dixit was the Returning Officer for Mehsana.

In Patan, Mr. Yogendra Makwana, a Central Minister from the Congress, lost to Mr. Khemchand Chavda of the Janata Dal by over one lakh votes.

Return of Madhavsinh as Chief Minister and the Assembly Elections

In Gandhinagar, pressure continued to mount to replace Amarsinh Chaudhary in order to save the Congress government in Gujarat. In 1985, the Congress had won 149 out of 182 seats under Madhavsinh Solanki’s leadership. It was hearsay that he had been forced to resign through a well-planned “stabbing conspiracy.” His chosen successor, Amarsinh Chaudhary, managed to stay in power with the backing of the central leadership.

To keep Madhavsinh Solanki pacified, he was appointed Minister for Planning in the Union Cabinet — but his brilliance did not shine there. Eventually, the leadership decided to replace Amarsinh Chaudhary, and on 10 December 1989, the veteran Madhavsinh Solanki once again took the oath as Chief Minister of Gujarat.

However, his reputation was now at stake because the State Assembly elections were approaching fast. Time was short — barely three months — and with the Election Code of Conduct already in effect, there was little room for major initiatives. Solanki had no time to revive his once-powerful KHAM (Kshatriya, Harijan, Adivasi, Muslim) coalition.

On the other side, V.P. Singh’s image of integrity gave a significant boost to the Janata Dal in Gujarat. Chimanbhai Patel firmly established his claim as the party’s leader, supported by Keshubhai Patel and his team, who had been working actively in the organization since 1986.

The election for the Eighth Gujarat Legislative Assembly turned out to be a Waterloo for the Congress. Under Madhavsinh Solanki’s leadership, the party that had won 149 seats in 1985 was reduced to just 33 seats. Much water had flowed down the Sabarmati, Narmada, Tapi, Mahi, and Bhadar rivers since those glory days.

Congress workers had weakened under Amarsinh Chaudhary’s ineffective leadership, and then came a political disaster. A statement made by Ishwarsinh Chavda, Solanki’s father-in-law, at a village meeting in Vasad, was twisted and attributed to Madhavsinh himself.

In his enthusiasm for the development of his OBC Thakarda community, Ishwarsinh had remarked something to the effect that “he would like to see Patel women carrying small bottles in hand to buy oil.”

The opposition distorted this remark as an insult to the Patel community, turning them sharply against Solanki. As a result, the Patels withdrew their support, and the Congress faced a humiliating defeat in the election.

During the Tenth Lok Sabha elections, tragedy struck when an LTTE suicide bomber assassinated Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur (Tamil Nadu). After his death, P.V. Narasimha Rao became Prime Minister, and in June 1991, he appointed Madhavsinh Solanki as Minister of External Affairs.

However, controversy resurfaced when a letter related to the Bofors scandal was leaked, forcing Solanki to resign in March 1992. After that, he withdrew from active politics and lived a life of quiet retirement.

Clash with the Chief Minister

During Madhavsinh Solanki’s brief 75-day tenure as Chief Minister, I too had a confrontation with him. In Solanki’s government, Kasambapu was the Minister for Panchayats. One day, I received a call from his office saying, “The Minister would like to see you.”

When I went, I was taken into the antechamber where our District Panchayat President, Ishwarsinh Chavda, was also present. Kasambapu handed me a long list and said, “Parmar, the Chief Minister has instructed that these transfer orders must be issued today itself.”

I glanced at the list and realized that it was not possible to issue such orders without reviewing each employee’s service record, tenure, reputation, and integrity. As the administrative head of the District Panchayat, I couldn’t in good conscience carry out such politically motivated mass transfers.

I told them, “I’ll examine the list, and I’ll issue only those orders that are justified.”

But both insisted that all the transfers be made the same day.

So I went straight to Panchayat Secretary Niranjan Singh, informed him of the situation, and requested him to accompany me to the Minister. Together we met Kasambapu again, and the Secretary supported my position. By then, the District Panchayat President had left.

Kasambapu candidly admitted that the pressure was coming from Ishwarsinh.

I stood firm and refused to implement the list.

Soon after, the Election Commission of India announced the Assembly elections, and the matter automatically lapsed.

But another transfer issue soon brought me face-to-face with the Chief Minister himself.

In the Vijapur Assembly constituency, Nareshbhai Rawal was the Congress candidate. There was a vacant Medical Officer post at a dispensary in his constituency. Since the village had a large voter base, placing a doctor there could improve his chances of winning. Nareshbhai requested the transfer of Dr. Patel, a Medical Officer from a major Primary Health Centre in Chanasma Taluka, to that dispensary.

However, Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were crucial for health services and family planning programmes. Transferring a doctor from a functioning PHC to a small dispensary — that too during the Election Code of Conduct — was not administratively or ethically acceptable.

I refused the request. In response, the MLA complained directly to the Chief Minister.

Soon, I received a call from Kulin Chandra Kapoor, Secretary to the Chief Minister.

He said, “Parmar, the Chief Minister has directed that this doctor be transferred from the PHC to the Vijapur dispensary.”

I replied, “Sir, I cannot do that. The Election Code is in force. If necessary, the Health Commissioner in Gandhinagar can issue the order after due process.”

He hung up and informed the Chief Minister. A little later, he called again and said,

“The Chief Minister says he’ll deal with you after the elections.”

I calmly responded, “Let’s see when he returns.”

Nareshbhai lost the election — and so did the Congress. The issue ended there.

Later, during the campaign, the Chief Minister’s visit to Mehsana was scheduled. Since the memory of our disagreement was still fresh, I requested Development Commissioner Sharma Saheb to grant me casual leave for that day — which he kindly approved.

That’s how I managed to stay away from a direct confrontation with the Chief Minister.

Field Visits

Being a city-bred person, I always enjoyed visiting villages. I made frequent visits to Gram Panchayats, schools, Anganwadi centres, health centres, sub-divisional offices, and Taluka Panchayats.

Since Family Planning targets had to be achieved not only by the Health Department but also through the involvement of other departments’ officers and staff, I ensured that review meetings were held regularly — as I had learned that without close supervision, no government target could ever be met.

As for file work, that took me just about an hour a day.

The rest of my time went into field travel — I maintained a diary showing visits to around 55 villages per month on average.

Direct Recruitment of Health Workers

At that time, the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board announced the recruitment of health workers. The interviews for Panchayat services were conducted at the district level.

The District Selection Committee comprised:

• One member from the State Board, who served as Chairman,

• The District Panchayat President, and

• The District Development Officer (DDO) — the latter two as members.

  A technical expert assisted the committee.

Marks were distributed as follows:

• Chairman: 34 marks

• District Panchayat President: 33 marks

• District Development Officer: 33 marks

Based on this, a merit-cum-reservation list was prepared — but manipulations were common.

In the previous chairman’s time, during one such recruitment for around 39 posts (26 OBC, 4 SC reserved, and 9 general), the District Panchayat Selection Committee had prepared a long list of about 700 candidates.

Since some reserved-category candidates were placed near the bottom of the list, one candidate went to court, which ruled that appointments must follow the order of merit.

Thus, to appoint about 30 lower-ranked reserved-category candidates, around 700 general-category candidates had to be appointed first!

Strange, isn’t it?

In our case, the Chairman was retired IAS officer Javerbhai Chavda, and the District Panchayat President was Ishwarsinh Chavda both politically aligned.

Rumors floated in the market that Javerbhai was eyeing a reserved assembly seat (Jotana) in the future.

Speculation was rife “All the posts are already sold! The interviews are just a formality.”

A Sleepless Night

On the eve of the interview, I couldn’t sleep.

I prayed silently “God, show me a way to kill the snake without breaking the stick.”

The next morning, a solution struck me.

The Chief District Health Officer (CDHO) was to sit as the technical expert on the panel.

I called Dr. Ranawat and instructed him to focus his questions strictly on the qualifications, skills, and technical knowledge relevant to each category of post, so that candidates could be assessed objectively.

We three — the Chairman, the President, and I — would ask only general questions; all other details were already with us.

The Interviews

The interviews proceeded, questions were asked, and we kept assigning marks.

I had control over only 33 marks, while the other two together held 67 marks — meaning that even if a candidate barely scored, he could still make it to the merit list.

So I adopted a firm approach, rewarding the good and penalizing the weak through my marks.

When the final results were compiled, my strategy worked. The selection list turned out to include candidates based on genuine merit, not manipulation.

Ishwarsinh laughed and said,

“Parmar, you turned out to be a tough one!”

Earlier, during a previous recruitment, one of his relatives had appeared for an interview where he himself was a member of the selection committee.

When a complaint reached the Development Commissioner, S.D. Sharma, he issued a show-cause notice asking why Ishwarsinh should not be suspended as District Panchayat President.

That incident haunted Ishwarsinh for years — he would recall it whenever we met.

No one ever doubted his integrity or commitment to public service — only his sharp tongue occasionally limited his popularity.

Balram’s Untimely Departure

A tragic incident from the 1986 batch IAS officer Balram Dixit’s untimely death remains unforgettable.

He was serving as the Prant Officer of Kheralu. On the third Saturday, he had come to attend the District Coordination Committee meeting.

After the meeting, he visited my residence. Our cook, Babaji Thakor, and his wife had prepared an excellent meal. We dined together and chatted at length. Later in the evening, around 5 p.m., he went to attend the Collector’s meeting. When the meeting ended at dusk, he set out to return to Kheralu.

For a newly posted IAS officer, the first assignment as Prant Officer often served as an opportunity to learn driving.

Even I had learned to drive during my posting in Dahod.

That day, as Balram’s jeep left Mehsana, he asked his driver to sit behind and began driving himself.

The traffic on the roads was sparse in those days, but since it was already dusk, darkness had begun to fall.

Ahead of him was a camel cart moving slowly.

Balram decided to overtake it — which he did successfully.

But to his surprise, another camel cart appeared immediately in front of the first one, moving sluggishly.

There was no space to squeeze in between, and just at that moment, a yellow truck with bright headlights approached from the opposite direction.

Balram tried his best to steer through the narrow space between the truck and the camel cart — and was almost 90% successful.

However, as the truck passed, its driver slightly swerved right, and the rear-right side of Balram’s jeep was struck.

The jeep overturned and fell upside down on the right side of the road.

Balram sustained severe head and neck injuries — his brainstem was ruptured.

He was rushed to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for treatment.

I remained standing there the whole night, praying for some sign of hope — but none came.

By the next day, he passed away.

Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel, treating it as a special case, arranged a state government aircraft to transport Balram’s body to his hometown in Odisha.

A promising life was tragically lost — to a single ill-fated overtaking attempt.

My Restlessness

In March 1990, Chimanbhai Patel became the Chief Minister. Our Collector, Yogendra Dixit, was appointed as his Secretary.

Balram had already departed for his heavenly abode — my circle was shattered.

Conflicts with Ishwarsinh, coupled with a few caste-based attacks, shook my confidence.

Adding to it, a District Panchayat Member named Mohammad, who had once studied with my wife Lakshmi behaved as if the District Development Officer’s chamber was his own home. I got him out of the chamber once. He later conspired against me.

At that moment, Tulsidas’s verse echoed in my mind:

“Tulsi wahaan na jaiyo, jahaan baap ko desh”

(Tulsi, never stay where your father’s homeland is — familiarity breeds contempt.)

My native village and my in-laws’ village were both within a 25-kilometre radius and my in-laws lived right in a village of Mehsana taluka itself.

The Transfer

I went to meet Yogendra Dixit and said, “You’ve moved on, please do something for me.”

He spoke to the Chief Minister, who agreed to help.

However, a GAD (General Administration Department) officer probably played a trick and I was transferred as Deputy Secretary, Industries & Mines Department.

When I met Mr. Sureshbhai Shelat, the Secretary for Industries, he looked at my name and surname, then said frankly,

“I had requested for another officer, you’ll have to wait.”

So I met Chief Secretary H.K. Khan and requested,

“Please assign me to another district.”

He agreed, and I was finally posted as District Development Officer, Junagadh.

I took my Maruti 800, placed a bottle of water beside me, and with Lakshmi seated next to me, I drove myself through the night reaching Junagadh at 9:30 p.m.

That was my first long solo drive.

The very first thing I did upon arrival, at 9:45 p.m., was to mark my signature in the CTC, and only then did I eat dinner.

I knew one thing very well:

“If the night is gone, the opportunity is gone.”

In a single night, Rama the king had turned into a pauper.

24 September 2025