Rampant corruption, flourishing nexus
LUCKNOW: Murder of two chief medical officers (CMOs), family planning, in Lucknow is not a sudden development. Rather, it is an outcome of rampant corruption in government machinery flourishing due to politician-officials-mafia nexus.
The Patnaik committee in 2006 revealed that entire state administration is under the grip of mafia-politicians nexus. While, the recommendations of the report to improve the situation are gathering dust, six officials of different departments have been eliminated in last four years, when they could not give the `desired results' to the nexus or tried to check the corruption.
Three engineers, two doctors and an education officer in government services have been murdered in last 15 months and over two dozen were attacked for not bowing down to the demands of the mafia having political connections or for favouring a particular party.
Few of the injured escaped narrowly after murderous assault. Those attacked include a PCS officer in Varanasi, two education officers, five doctors and around 14 engineers since December 2008. While BSP leaders have been accused in eight cases, names of SP leaders have figured in five and eight of other political parties.
Constituted in December 2005 on the directions of the High Court, the committee headed by IAS officer GB Patnaik in its report submitted in April 2006, had said that organised crime started in eastern UP in late 1970s with availability of railway contracts, irrigation and canal projects, collection of octroi, toll taxes, illegal mining, smuggling coal and drugs. And, it said, "Today the mafia can be found in every sphere from religious work to education and forestry. It has crippled police and bureaucracy. These mafia subvert laws, precedents, rules and regulations and manage to acquire wealth, fame, power and women."
The report states that mafia groups finance politicians and officers to bend rules. Upright officers are hounded, harassed or transferred. They try to get monopoly over the government supplies and manage to get subsidies and work contracts. The report recommended several measures, which were later adopted by the High Court in its order to check mafia raj. It recommended no police security to a person, including MLA/MP, even if found indirectly involved in criminal activities besides formation of mafia control coordination committee and organised crime control authority to sanitise government activities.
Significantly, central government is also be blamed for the mess. In 2008, Maya government enacted a law to curb organised crime. But, governor referred it to the Centre. Later, union home ministry blocked the law saying it could be misused, as it was in the case of Prevention of Terrorism Act.
A senior state government officer said, "Mafia-turned-politicians are becoming MLA, MPs and ministers. No police official can dare to take action against the mafia, when the latter is described as messiah of the poor by none other but chief minister."
Officials also admitted that less than 40% of the total amount sanctioned for a project is used, rest goes as commission to officers, politicians and mafia. "After Kalyan Singh's first term as chief minister, now Mayawati has taken some action against mafia groups, otherwise all the regimes in between have only strengthened mafia," they said.
"Criminal cases against a mafia expands his profile, which he uses to terrorise people. Convictions hardly take place, hence they flourish," said another police officer.
"Of hundreds of functionaries in party, only few become MLA or MP, rest depend on grabbing government contracts and transfer/posting of officers on lucrative posts. One needs money to fight elections," said Ashish Awasthi, a trade union leader, pointing towards genesis of corruption.
AA Farooqi, president UP Officers Association, said that the association will press the government for implementation of Patnaik report. He said that many officers like late Manoj Gupta are forced to pay commissions. "The problem is in the system," he added.
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