Y.S. RANA, CHANDIGARH—NOV 6—As usual the Chandigarh Administration has observed Vigilance Awareness Week’ from October 28 to November 2, 2013 on the Central Vigilance Commission’s guidelines, doubts are being raised to the utility of observing the week.
Does the Chandigarh Administration’s platitudes about cracking down corruption any relevance? Talking to cross section of employees told that when other directives of CVC considering the staff have not been obliged why to observe such weeks. They further stated that according to CVC instructions, ‘tainted’ and corrupt official cannot hold any public importance seat. An official cannot remain on any sensitive seat for more than three years at a stretch. They were still at the helm of affairs in many departments, added one they.
There are shocking examples of how employees in the Administration stick to the territorial boundaries of their offices year altogether, says an employee of theEstate Office. “We have to observe the week as a ritual but I do not think it has impact on eradicating corruption,” said he.
It is also revealed that the Joint Secretary, Personnel, Chandigarh Administration had issued two circulars dated February 24, 1999 and March 16, 2004 to all heads of departments and administrative secretaries directed that the contents of these circular may be brought to the notice of all concerned for strict compliance and also requested to furnish a quarterly return indicating the total number of cases of employees of all classes reviewed and number of cases where it was decided to retire the person concerned in the public interest. “There is negligible compliance of such circulars,” he said.
Notably, in reply to an RTI application dated January 3, 2012, the CPIO, Home-I, Chandigarh Administration had stated, “At present, no employee of Chandigarh Administration, facing inquiry, charge sheets in various cases of corruption.” But over the years, the city has hit the headlines for scams that keep surfacing at regular intervals involving top brass of UT administration, Municipal Corporation, education, cooperative and police departments and facing inquries.
On contarary, in nine years (2002-2011), the city has witnessed ten big scams involving crores of rupees. Several cases of direct allotment of land at very low prices, violation of tender clauses, purchase of equipments, irregular appointments were noticed during the course of special audit. It has been recommended in the special audit that where there has been revenue loss to the government account on account of Chandigarh Administration policies, immediate recovery should be initiated.
The Director, Higher Education, Chandigarh, Mr Sandeep Hans told to The India Post, Though good values should inculcate among the children at an early age yet youth is the right age to aware to strive to bring about integrity and transpatency in all sphere of life.
After all when you cannot attack the troubling big question of how to incentivise change in administration you might as well bark back to golden time when people were ‘better.’