| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 14, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
Arun Bhatia, Municipal Commissioner, Pune, India (int'l edition) 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. Bhatia, a career civil servant from India's elite administrative services, is accustomed to such treatment. He has been punished before, transferred to jobs throughout his home state 24 times in his 25-year career. Everywhere Bhatia went, he unearthed scandal and supported citizens' rights. Family support is staunch: His wife, Priti, says she is an expert at packing a house. Meanwhile, Bhatia vows never to give up. ''There is so much more that can be done now that we have the people's support,'' he says. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
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