Situated 11,000 feet above sea level, bordering Jammu&Kashmir, Pangi Valley in Himachal’s
Chamba district is dangerously beautiful. And that is exactly what has clicked with this young IAS who is an adventure enthusiast and wears “challenge” as her middle name. While for others in the bureaucracy, Pangi posting is a punishment, Ritika Jindal, who hailsfrom Punjab and is a Himachal cadre officer, did not spare a second thought when asked to join as the Resident Commissioner in Himachal’s “Kala Pani”.
The 2019 batch IAS is the first woman officer to be stationed in Pangi, which is not just the remotest village with poor road connectivity but also gets snow for half of the year.
‘NO REASON TO SAY NO’
Ms. Jindal who has earlier only served as SDM in Mandi told Indian Masterminds, “We are an All-India service. If the government thinks my services will be useful anywhere from the Himalayas to Andaman and Nicobar, so be it. There was no reason to say no. Plus I like adventure and challenge. This will be a good exposure for me.”
The officer who is known for her open-door policy started operating from May 1, 2023, from Pangi headquarters Killar, situated at 14.500 feet in the Pir Panjal Range of Himalayas
When she was offered Pangi, the only thing that crossed her mind was if people are living there then why can’t she go there to serve them?
GRIT AND GUTSY
This is not her only first. Even as a trainee Tehsildar, Ms. Jindal fought gender bias at a Solan temple to be included as the first woman in a havan. “My mantra is don’t think twice if you’re doing right,” said the officer, who in October 2020 taught a lesson of equality to Shoolini temple priest as she fought the age-old narrow-minded tradition.
The girl from Punjab’s Moga town is unfazed by the harsh topography and is already acclimatising herself as she started meeting people, who are her priority.
PEOPLE’S OFFICER
Ms. Jindal plans to continue with her bottom-up working style. In Mandi, she had visited all the 50-odd panchayats under her and was the first IAS officer to visit that many.
“I like to take suggestions and feedback from people. I am not a Pangi resident. Being an
outsider, I can push my ideas on them. So I am focusing on meeting them and finding out their
issues”, says Ms. Jindal. She is determined to prioritise their needs and leave behind a better Pangi despite its harsh winters of below minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Her challenges include those hamlets where locals trek over 10 km to reach a health centre and health officials travel up to three days on foot to access the remotest villages for vaccination drives.
