It took quite a winding route for this Karnataka youth to reach Meghalaya, and in no time he became the “people’s officer’’. So much so that every time he was transferred from a post, it would generate a vociferous protest from the people. This was because they had become so used to the humane ways that the IAS officer Mr Arun Kumar Kembhavi chose to sort out their problems.
Look, He’s on a Bicyle!
Megahlaya had not seen such an IAS officer for a long time, if ever. In fact, he started his stint in the North-Eastern hill state with a decidedly odd gesture. Giving up his official vehicle, he would commute to his office on a bicycle. When asked why he would do so, he gave three reasons for it: “Cycle is the most convenient way for travelling. It requires minimum maintenance and relieves you from the worry of parking space. Apart from the convenience, this is also eco-friendly vehicle and keeps you fit. So, riding a bicycle is actually good in more than one ways.’’
Mr Kembhavi’s bicycle had an immediate rub off effect on his staff, and soon even they started using this old but effective mode of transport. In Shillong- one of the many places in Meghalaya where he got the posting- the traffic was quite chaotic. But in a way, Mr Kembhavi’s intra-city jaunts in a cycle got on to the people at large and the traffic started becoming stream-lined.
Mr Kemhavi cleared the UPSC in 2011. Though he belonged to Karnataka, he was given Assam-Meghalaya cadre. A mechanical engineer, he worked with well known multi-national company Accenture before joining civil services.
Environment First
His concern for the environment, and the steps he chose to maintain it, reflected in the quality of his work. It’s no coincidence that two of the Meghalaya’s district he worked in – West Jaintia and West Khasi Hills- were nominated for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Excellence Award for two consecutive years.
Mr. Kembhavi is a big supporter of environment-friendly development. In many of his addresses to the public, he would emphasise how the human race would end if ecology collapses. Every individual, he insists, has a role to play in keeping the environment healthy and there is no getting away from this responsibility.
In many of his postings, Mr Kembhavi introduced various alternatives to plastic packaging, replacing it with those of paper and leaves. Recently appointed as the Chairman cum-Managing Director of Meghalaya Energy Cooperation Limited visions, he aims to make Meghalaya plastic free before 2022.
No Airs about Mr Kembhavi
Another thing that characterizes Mr Kembhavi’s style of functioning is total absence of officialdom about him. Right now, he must be one of the most accessible bureaucrats in the entire North-East. One doesn’t need an appointment to meet him. Often, people with pressing issues just walk into his office and he gives a patient hearing to them, without once losing his cool.
In fact, this intrepid officer has gone a step ahead. So much so that anybody having issues related to electricity, water, garbage, noise, traffic etc. can send him a message on his WhatsApp number. The people also end up using other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to make him aware of their problem.
And does Mr Kembhavi responds to these messages? You bet he does, almost immediately in most cases. No wonder he is the `people’s officer’ in Megalaya, this former mechanical engineer from Karnataka.
