Arun Bhatia

Arun Bhatia, Municipal Commissioner, Pune, India (int'l edition) JUNE 14, 1999: Arun Bhatia, 56, is the hero of India's embattled honest bureaucrats. After only six days at his job in Pune, he was suddenly transferred in March to the Archives Dept. Bhatia's crime? Daring to open government records to the public for the first time, and demolishing illegal constructions on properties owned by influential and politically connected businessmen. But the public rallied, and the court ordered him back on the job.

An Honest Bureaucrat NOVEMBER 2002, PUNE (WFS): Arun Bhatia believes that tribal welfare should mean more than protecting their arts and folklore, it should include the examination of their sufferings too.

Pune takes Bhatia's side, again PUNE, JUNE 3, 1999: Representatives of 15 citizens' groups from the city today met All India Congress Committee general secretary Madhavrao Scindia and expressed concern over the recent developments in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Gritty IAS official seeks PM's intervention MUMBAI, OCT 5, 2002: Arun Bhatia, a senior IAS official in Maharashtra, who is due to retire in about a month from now, was years ago described by the Chief Secretary, R. D. Pradhan, as " an exceptional officer who did not endear himself to superiors, but won acclaim of the press and the public." His continuing inability to "endear himself " to his bosses - both political and bureaucratic - has seen him walking into trouble, once too often.

Angry Bhatia calls CEC a sleepy babu PUNE, MAY 3, 2004:Reiterating his stand that the Lok Sabha elections in Pune were conducted in violation of the Election Commission's regulations, Independent candidate and former PMC Commissioner Arun Bhatia has asked for police protection for a youngster who allegedly blew the whistle on improper polling activity in several polling booths.

Bhatia threatens legal action over voter list PUNE, 4 MAY 2004: Perturbed by the low polling in Pune for the Lok Sabha elections, and the fact that names of thousands of citizens were missing from the voter list, consumer organisations in the city, as well as former bureaucrats Arun Bhatia and Avinash Dharmadhikari, are contemplating legal action against the election officers in Pune.

60,000 plus, this bulldozer bureaucrat makes his point PUNE, MAY 13, 2004: Champion of the masses. The Good Indian. Ek Sachcha Manus. Call him all that, but it wasn't winning ticket was it? An orchestra everyone says is the nonpareil, but no one wants to dance to? The bottomline is that at the end of it all, Arun Bhatia - Independent candidate in a constituency that has never voted an Independent in - was not the exception that proved the rule.