A business survey of 12 Asian economies ranked the Indian bureaucracy the worst in Asia and that of Singapore the best, and rightly so. Look at the recent scams such as the 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and the Adarsh Housing Society case. In India, ruling political parties have been punished by the people at the ballot box. But corrupt bureaucrats remain virtually untouched owing to inherent service rules governing the Indian Administrative Services. Recently, however, while hearing a petition in the Adarsh Housing Society case, a high court termed the scam “a clear-cut case of manipulation by bureaucrats”. It is, therefore, clear that corrupt bureaucrats often facilitate corruption in the country. But when an outright bureaucrat like Arun Bhatia embarks on a drive against corruption, he is punished. Mr Bhatia, former commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation, was transferred 26 times in his career spanning 30 years, and a high court had termed these transfers “outrageous”.
A suggestion in this context is: Deal firmly with the top and the rest will clean itself. Can we expect the Centre and state governments to take such drastic steps?
Satish R Murdeshwar, Pune
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