His trademark tweed coat and hat warm in Punjab’s memory, Chandigarh’s public face for the last five years is moving out. Today, on his last day in office as Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator, Lt General (retd) JFR Jacob was overwhelmed by scores of visitors ranging from the Chief Minister to people who wanted his autograph. Around 750 visitors descended on Punjab Raj Bhawan in the past five days, said officials. ‘‘Never before have so many people turned up to bid farewell to a Governor,’’ a Raj Bhawan employee said. ‘‘Warm people, especially ex-servicemen, schoolchildren, and college and university students. Vibrant and full of life, they make the city lively,’’ was what the outgoing Governor had to say about the city that he was leaving behind. So, how does the man himself rate his tenure? ‘‘I came to do a job, and did it,’’Jacob told The Indian Express. Known as the administration’s worst critic, Jacob brushed aside controversial decisions taken during his term such as Rent Act Notification which led to protests. ‘‘Only a handful protested. One can’t stop them from doing that.’’ But what of the perception the Centre didn’t consult him in appointing key officers? ‘‘Ask them,’’ the reply was curt. Jacob also expressed confidence that the plans that he initiated would be carried forward. ‘‘Rs 5 crore have been allocated for the botanical garden this year. Besides, the DG Forests has been told to declare it a National Park. A corpus has also been created for the football academy which will be headed by Director (Sports),’’ he listed some. So, would Jacob have liked to stay on in Chandigarh given his popularity? ‘‘No. I cannot afford to buy property here. It’s too expensive. I will go back to my Som Vihar apartment in New Delhi.’’ Now you know why he is so popular.
