TO I: Govt outsources inquiries against errant officials : Oct 29,2007
EASY PASSAGE
Govt outsources inquiries against errant officials
Nitin Yeshwantrao I TNN
Mumbai: Tainted bureaucrats can breathe easy for now. The Democratic Front government has scripted a novel escape route for officials facing inquiry for alleged corruption and misconduct.
The state has not only dismantled the the time-tested inquiry model functional at the division level, but also outsourced all departmental inquiries to a select panel of retired government officials.
Put simply, pensioners with little or no accountability to the government will get to decide the fate of officials facing corruption charges, up to the rank of deputy collector, executive engineer and under-secretary in Mantralaya.
The pensioner is to be paid Rs 5,000 for his new assignment as inquiry officer and should the probe involve one or more persons, the 60-plus ex-state staffer will be entitled up to Rs 8,000 in addition to Rs 500 to cover travel expense, states a government resolution issued by the general administration department.
The decision to outsource inquiries has sparked an outrage in the state administration. Many of them point out that instead of strengthening the existing administrative set-up and expedite decision-making, the state has privatised a quasi-judicial process.
“It is a clever move devised by the bureaucrat-politician nexus to make sure that corrupt officials are let off easy. Administrative corruption undoubtedly happens with the blessings of the political leadership, but rarely has a politician been caught for demanding or accepting bribe. If inquiries are outsourced, it will be done with the hidden agenda that the officials too get away unscathed,’’ a bureaucrat said.
Imagine a tehsildar or deputy collector, who is accused of amassing crores of rupees, being tried by a pensioner who is paid Rs 5,000 for his role as inquiry officer. It is possible that the guilty officer will not think twice to pay in lakhs to get a favourable report, the senior Mantralaya official said.
Moreover, as the pensioner has no direct accountability to the state government, he may give in to the corrupt official’s request. Subsequently, if his report is found to be faulty, there is little that the government can do except deny him another assignment as inquiry officer, the bureaucrat said.
“It is possible that the department concerned may reject an inquiry report stating valid reasons. However, it will be difficult to try the accused official for the second time as it will amount to double jeopardy,’’ the official said.
The department’s initiative to outsource inquiries of subordinate staff is due to the huge pendency. In many cases, the suspension period is extended up to five years or more with the official concerned being paid 75% of the salary during his entire suspension period.
“Ideally, an inquiry has to be completed in six months. If an official is found guilty, he should be punished depending on the nature of the crime. If not, he should resume service. Instead, six years pass by and the taxpayer is made to pay for the absence of efficient disposal of inquiries,’’ another official said.
The department currently conducts inquiries against the accused officials. A special inquiry officer (1) of the rank of additional chief secretary probes charges against IAS, IPS and IFS officers. Another special inquiry officer (2), who is in the rank of principal secretary or secretary, carries out the inquiry for state cadre officials in the rank of deputy secretary and additional collector.
“What has been done away with is the special apparatus in each revenue division headed by an additional collectorrank officer. They were responsible serving officers who would be hauled up in case their report was contrary to the facts presented before them. However, with the outsourcing, 45 posts of inquiry officers have been cancelled and the entire system has been jeopardised,’’ a Mantralaya official said.
nitin.yeshwantrao@timesgroup.com
Publication:Times of India Mumbai; Date:Oct 29, 2007; Section:Times City; Page Number:7
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