TOI : Babus declare ministers maha-corrupt : Aug 28, 2007
BABUS DECLARE MINISTERS MAHA-CORRUPT
Findings of a wide-ranging opinion poll conducted among the state’s top
bureaucrats are out. The poll spares nobody – not the politicians, nor the
babus themselves, not even Rahul Dravid
PARIKSHIT JOSHI
Ministers in the state government are “massively corrupt”, the
performance of legislators “largely unsatisfactory,” the culture of giving
gifts for securing transfers not only firmly established but “huge and on
the rise”, Special Economic Zones “unjust”, and social activist Anna
Hazare’s anti-corruption crusade, mostly against the state government and
administration, “overwhelmingly constructive”.
This, you might think, is the verdict of Anna Hazare’s volunteers,
anti-SEZ protestors, or the opposition parties, against the government. It
isn’t. This stinging indictment of the state, its government, its elected
representatives and its policies has been made by gazetted officers, the
very backbone of the state administration and the very people who are
responsible for implementing the government’s policies. These critical
remarks about the government’s ways emerged during a survey conducted among
240 gazetted officers – that is, the government’s Class I and Class II
employees, up to the level of joint secretary and deputy collector,
recruited through the State Public Service Commission – by the Maharashtra
State Gazetted Officers Federation at its conclave in Mumbai last week.
Officers, selected from across state departments, were given a set of 41
questions to gauge the undercurrents in the administration over crucial
“socio-political and economic” concerns. They were given an option of
keeping their identity under wraps while answering the questions, but
interestingly, most of them had no problems in revealing their names even as
they slammed the state on various issues.
On the question of graft, the vote was clearly against the government:
84% of the respondents said the mantris were Maha corrupt, 50% said
secretaries were no better, and 69% felt the “gift culture for transfers”
was getting out of hand.
The overall performance of the government was described as just about OK
by 73%, and 21% said it was unsatisfactory; only a meagre 6% found it good.
On the policy front too, the government came in for criticism: 77% said
the SEZ policy was unjust, and 94% said Anna Hazare’s work was constructive.
All this is no reason for the opposition parties to gloat, though. The
verdict on them too is harsh: 61% respondents said the opposition was not
doing its work, and only 8% felt it was putting in enough efforts to hold
the government accountable.
G D Kulathe, general secretary of the Federation, admitted such a survey
was carried out to assess the views of officials. “But this is our own
in-house exercise, based on which we carry out various training programmes
and lectures for our members. This is not for public consumption,” he
stressed.
Interestingly, the survey was not restricted to state matters. Questions
were asked on the Indo-US nuke deal, Mayawati’s possible inroads into
Maharashtra, the court’s intervention in matters of governance, and even on
Rahul Dravid’s controversial decision not to enforce a follow-on in the
third and final (Oval) Test against England.
And the babus have not held back in their replies. 85% of them said the
nuke deal was in the national interest; 54% said Mayawati’s impact in the
state would be limited; 62% felt court intervention in governance was
“extremely necessary”; and 77% called Dravid’s decision “incorrect.”
Asked if the verdict in the 1993 bomb blasts case was just, all of them,
without an exception, replied in the affirmative.
When asked to name one minister, from the state and the Centre
respectively, who they thought was best, Deputy Chief Minister and Home
Minister R R Patil emerged as the favourite at the state level, while – the
Left may not be too happy here – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the clear
number one among Central leaders.
YEH JO PUBLIC SERVANT HAIN , YEH SAB JANTEY HAIN
PM Manmohan Singh got the star billing
Publication:Mumbai Mirror ; Date:Aug 28, 2007; Section:Front Page; Page
Number:1