Having faced the problem of a lack of good books on environment and ecology while preparing for UPSC, Mr. Bilal Bhat, who is the District Magistrate of Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, decided to write a book himself on the same subjects to help civil services aspirants. But his yeoman service to people is not just limited to that.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, the IAS officer talked about his book and, also, the various development works that he has undertaken in the beautiful Kulgam district.
BOOK ON ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
While preparing for the UPSC examination, the 2016 batch IAS officer realized that there was not enough study material on environment and ecology.
“Apart from NCERT and ICSE board books, very few options were available for aspirants. I wanted to provide them with a book that is more comprehensive, exam-oriented, and theoretical. So, once I got into service, I decided to write my own book packed with the experiences of my preparation, and taking the right approach towards the examination,” he told Indian Masterminds.
Highlighting how his book is different from others in the same category, the officer said that his focus is mainly on presenting ecology in an easily understandable way. “Mostly, people are confused with the ecology part, so I have tried to make it more comprehensive and, at the same time, easy to understand. Civil Services Examination is not about the quantity of knowledge; it’s all about having relevant knowledge at the relevant time.”
REDRESSAL CAMPS IN KULGAM
The officer wanted governance to reach the doorstep of people, even those living in far-flung areas. To accomplish this, he set up redressal camps in the remotest areas of his jurisdiction.
“We had to trek few kilometers to reach those places. We listened to the local people’s grievances and my team, which also comprised of employees from the rural development department, ensured that their problems were solved on the spot. The complex problems were sent to higher authorities for redressal,” stated Mr. Bhat.
This practice helped build trust among the local people towards the authorities, as their problems were now getting addressed right at their doorstep.
“Most of their grievances are basic, such as water, link roads problems, electricity issues, and development works. Sometimes, there are other issues also, such as revenue problems, which are forwarded to the legal department.”
MADADGAAR SCHEME
The District Administration launched IVR (Interactive Voice Response System) in Kulgam by the name of ‘Madadgaar’, where anybody can call and report their grievances.
“The call is recorded. We provide assistance to people on myriad issues such as water, electricity, road construction, medical emergencies, domestic violence, dowry harassment, career, education, sports, etc. – basically, anything and everything! It has proved to be especially useful during Covid times as we are able to reach out to a larger population and help them,” Mr. Bhat informed Indian Masterminds.
RESTORATION OF WATER BODIES
Kulgam is home to 378 water bodies, and restoration work has been taken up on all of them. So far, 40 have already been restored.
“Within the next three years, we are planning to rejuvenate all of them,” the officer said.
PLAYFIELDS IN EACH PANCHAYAT
District Kulgam houses around 178 panchayats. IAS officer Bilal Bhat decided to make a sports ground or a play area in each of these districts for youngsters to enjoy themselves.
76 grounds have already been made functional and geotagged through rural development department and youth services and sports. Land has been made available in each Panchayats with allocation of funds through convergence of schemes. We are going to ensure this year to complete this project. Youth engagement in sports is very important as far as our district is concerned.
EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY CLASSES
To counter the issues which people were facing during the onset of the pandemic, the district administration of Kulgam started high altitude community classes. The teachers of the district started community classes particularly in areas that had no access to cellular network and where students did not have smartphones.
About 40 percent students have been covered through community classes in Kulgam so far and this initiative is proving to be very helpful for students as they are able to come into direct contact with their teachers in these classes.
Mr. Bhat said, “To address this issue and to reach out to all the students the district administration and department of education again came up with the idea of starting community classes and the decision is being appreciated by all sections of the society. The basic idea behind this initiative was to minimize the academic losses.”
Mr. Bhat’s continuous efforts to upgrade his district and uplift the local people are bearing fruits as development can be seen all around. More importantly, there has been a perceptible change in the mindset of the local populace towards the administration. Where there were once doubts, there is now trust.
