Kohima, July 07: It is not easy task for anybody to work in a place where the people have witnessed conflicts for over fifty years.

It is also equally difficult task for any person to part with the people after having worked with them to come out of sense of fatigue inflicted due to this prolonged conflict.

The outgoing Nagaland Chief Secretary RS Pandey is one who has faced such a situation and has nostalgic memories as to how he managed to steer the ship of bureaucracy, which also seemed to be afflicted with fatigue syndrome.

He had realized the difficult task he would face when he took over the charge of Chief Secretaryship of the State in mid 2000 but had a strong conviction that the State would embark on the path of peace and prosperity.

His first priority as Chief Secretary was to ensure that the bureaucracy gets out of the sense of cynicism for which, to begin with motivational program was arranged through a three-day workshop by renowned international motivational guru, Shiv Khera with senior members of State bureaucracy and with participation from the civil society.

�Shiv Khera�s workshop provided the initial dose of motivating energy,� the outgoing Chief Secretary, who is leaving Nagaland today for his new assignment in the nation�s capital, told NEPS here at his official residence today.

Pandey continued initiating series of seminars and workshops like �Imagine Nagaland, Vision Nagaland� and regular conferences for reform measures for transparency and accountability on governance.

Even seminars on learning from audits where the Accountant Generals happened to be the main speakers were initiated, besides a number of reforms in areas of law and order management, personnel management and fiscal management were undertaken with each department constituting its mission group.

Legislation of Work Charge and Casual Employees Act 2001, widening tax base and rationalizing of tax rates on power, water, timber, Government machineries, institutional reforms like Nagaland Communitization of Public Institutions and Services Act 2002, New Tourism and Industrial Policies, Nagaland Municipal Areas Act 2001, education sector reforms, new experiments in rain water harvesting and special emphasis to fight AIDS/HIV are some areas Pandey had contributed to.

Pandey explained as to how they (bureaucrats) kept renewing their commitment through regular monthly meeting to improve attendance, to clear files and papers on time, to clear several bottlenecks such as making service rules, holding Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings, etc.

�So a large number of activities which are basic to governmental functioning but which have been sadly neglected were sought to be attended to,� he stated.

Despite various reform measures initiated during his tenure as Chief Secretary in Nagaland, Pandey is specifically known and synonymous for his innovative idea---�Communitization,� which may become a model to the rest of the country."Nagaland is poor in many respects.

We are poor in financial capital as well as infrastructure capital.

But the State is profoundly rich in social capital and natural capital with tremendous bio-diversity and favorable land to man ratio,� Pandey explained adding �Communitization� was an attempt to invest and utilize the social capital in the �process of improving the management of our Government institutions which have been set up by the Government for the benefit of the community.

There are, however, several challenges in harnessing the natural capital which needs to be done in a mission mode.� �I am only happy that in the short period of two years, it is proceeding on right lines and certain positive changes are visible.

The Communitization Act has been amended in the last Assembly to take the benefit to even urban areas,� he pointed out.

�We give credit for the success of communitization to the people of Nagaland, to the Government officials who have worked tirelessly and to the political leaders who have provided unstinted support.� Describing his successor P Talitenjen as �a man of character and integrity,� the outgoing Chief Secretary said he (Talitemjen) was an extremely �balanced person who has tremendous experiences of various facets of life in the State.� �He has basic tenets of a civil servant and has the capacity to take the bureaucracy along with him,� Pandey said.

�I have no doubt that he will be able to provide the necessary leadership to the bureaucracy so that the Government policy and programs are faithfully implemented and put on the ground.� Although he rarely commented on the ongoing Naga political process, Pandey is parting Nagaland emotionally with the full hope that �some solution acceptable to all parties in the negotiation process will emerge sooner than later.

�I said this on the basis of the fact that people may generally want this problem to be solved once and for all,� Pandey stated.

�And since this is the realization of all concerned including the State Government, Central Government and the organizations concerned and people at large, it should be achievable.� Outgoing Chief Secretary also lauded State media for their role in the State and further stated seeing in over the last 4 � years during his stay here, �it is very positive and its excellent support even to the Government tremendous.� Stating that media in the State grew in strength in �quality as well as in quantity,� Pandey remembered about old times when they used to depend on wireless massage from the outpost about happening there.

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