CHANDIGARH: In the recent revelation of scam in Maharashtra shows nexus between politicians
and bureaucrats. Every time our resolve to fight against corruption failed and country continues
blackened. Chandigarh is also no exception. Anna Hazare started a campaign against corruption and
forced the government to dig out anti corruption rules buried under the debris of time. Before it a
major initiative of the government was premature retirement Rules 1975.
These rules have not been used for the past 40 years in Chandigarh and are also not likely
to happen now. It was admitted in a letter of the Department of Home, Chandigarh in reply to an
enquiry dated January 3, 2012. The letter states, “No such employee so far retired compulsorily by
the Administration under cited rules. In February, 1999 the deputy secretary, personnel, Chandigarh
Administration has issued explicit directions in a letter to all heads of departments and
administrative secretaries in the Administration for strict compliance of said rules that empower the
appropriate authority to weed out corrupt, dishonest or inefficient officials from services. It also
warned that no slackness be shown as this would be viewed seriously.
Under the Rule 3(1) inter-alia provide that the appropriate authority shall, if it is of the
opinion, in public interest to do so, have the absolute right by giving an employee three months
notice to retire who completes 25 years of service or attains 50 years of age. Neither any corrupt
official has been retired premature nor any official who showed slackness has been punished. The
letter further rues that in spite of clear cut provisions in the rules, it has been observed that the
cases of employees in Chandigarh were not being reviewed by the appropriate authority the
employees who have outlived their utility defeated the anxiety of the government to improve
efficiency and governance in the administration in public interest.
Even in 2004 Joint Secretary, Home, Chandigarh has written a letter to all heads of
departments/offices saying that the instructions were not being complied with in letter and spirit.
Heads were directed to furnish a quarterly return, indicating the total number of cases of employees
reviewed, class wise and the number of cases where it has been decided to retire remained the files.
In the backdrop of laxity on the part of the authority city has witnessed a number of scams.
Residents do not know the fate of Techno Gym project scam 2008; police recruitment
scam 2008; mega projects scam 2009; teacher-hiring scam 2010; shed allotment scam 2010; cement
scam 2010; Punjab engineering college scam 2010 and booth allotment scam 2011 and Delhi Public
School allotment scam of 2002. Flats transfer in cooperative housing societies where rules laws and
Acts were thrown into the dustbin just to oblige a politician. The case file of the scam has been
cleared by 21 officials including then the Administrator, UT Chandigarh within six hours that was too
during Code of Conduct but for this scam so far responsibility has not been fixed but to talk of
action. There is also huge loss to government exchequer.
Old timer bureaucrats summed up that those in power have found ways to get
around and became experts how to escape from accountability. Even courts in various judgements
asserted that the dishonest, corrupt and dead wood necessarily deserve to be dispensed wit and on
the other hand Chief Vigilance Commission observed that corruption has corroded every organ of
public life and advocated for strong mechanism in the system.
The campaign against corruption would remain hypocritical and superficial as long
as the nexus between politician and bureaucrats continue to make a mockery of the legal provisions.
Action was taken when majority of bureaucrats used to be fairly honest, not now when majority of
them are known to be corrupt. Hence, it is not fair for a corrupt bureaucrat to retire compulsorily
another corrupt official. The motto for new bureaucrats is “look backward, move forward’ it explains
the bureaucratic fascination with precedents.