Demoralised officials!

 

It is reported that large number of IAS officials are trying to go on deputation to Central services as they feel they could not independently work in any department in the state government where they face crisis after crisis and intervention of ruling party legislators and functionaries besides, of course ministers. But when things go wrong and get exposed in the media, invariably they are made scapegoats to cover up the frauds and irregularities of ministers, ADMK MLAs and functionaries.

A typical case in point is the Mass Wedding fiasco at Tiruverkadu on June 18 in which Jayalalitha solemnized wedding of 1006 couples selected from many districts, for which six officials were made scapegoats after gaffe at the government function came to light.

The controversy brewed over the mass marriage conducted by the state government on June 18 at Tiruverkadu with reports emerging that many already married couples got remarried on the occasion with their children playing curious witnesses. Certain weeklies published the photographs of such couples with their children.

While the participants had obviously lined up to receive the free 4g gold mangalsutra and other aid given by the government, the officials had taken it lightly in their eagerness to show a large crowd before the Chief Minister, as directed by the minister concerned. As a fallout, five officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department and a police inspector have been suspended for the gaffe. The HR&CE commissioner, an IAS officer, has been put on compulsory wait, which is deemed as suspension in official circles.

The marriages of 1,006 couples from poor families were conducted at Tiruverkadu, for which the beneficiaries were chosen from various places across the state. Chief minister Jayalalitha, HR&CE minister M S M Anandan, Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi and other ministers and officials were present on the occasion. Based on reports in a Tamil magazine that already married people got remarried on the occasion, the government swung into action and initiated disciplinary action against its officials.

The list of beneficiaries included 11 differently abled couples,611 couples belonging to the Adi Dravidar community,34 from scheduled tribes,183 couples from most backward classes,132 from backward classes and 46 from other categories. Chennai police commissioner J K Tripathy placed Saidapet police inspector N S Kumar under suspension for issuing a certificate (first time marriage) to a ragpicker couple, who were among the beneficiaries at the mass marriage. The couple came to the venue with their child. Police said the couple were staying together and had a child also. In an attempt to formalize their marriage, they registered themselves for the mass marriage.

Similarly, the fiasco over letting out the Anna Centenary Library auditorium for a marriage reception earlier has cost two employees in the State Information Department their jobs. A deputy director, O L Ravindran, who was in charge of memorials, and a public relations officer (PRO), P Murugesan, have been relieved of their duties. While the order relieving Ravindran from duty was issued on July 4, Murugesan was transferred to Tirunelveli corporation on July 10. He was also relieved from his duty at Anna Library the same day. But instructions were later given to the corporation not to permit him to join duty there. In effect, both the officials are under suspension, though there is no formal order. Both have been charged with dereliction of duty.

Interestingly, senior officials who had significant roles to play have gone scot free. "The order letting out the building was signed by an IAS officer with the full knowledge of another senior IAS officer. But once the matter was dragged to the court after media reported misuse of premises, the two IAS officials, who are close to the Chief Minister's office, found two scapegoats to save their own skin," said an official. The first bench of the High Court had ordered on July 2 that the library should not be rented out for other purposes. It also ordered that the government should return any advance, if collected.

All of a sudden in a single day the Secretary of Tourism department and the Commissioner were transferred. It is said the State government received Rs.450 crore aid for tourism department through Asian Development Bank. Both these officials had taken some decisions after consultations for attracting tourists to TN. This information had reached an official in Secretariat, who is said to be the power centre. This official is reported to have sent another to the department to go through the files and report back to him. Displeased with the two senior officials working on their own, they were reported to have been transferred by the power centre.

The recent appointment in the vacancies of nutritious meal and Anganwadi workers in districts was another reason for heart burn among district collectors, who had to post eligible candidates according to norms in the face of competitive claims from local ministers, MLAs and ADMK district secretaries. The Virudhunagar District collector who resorted to transparent and foolproof selection and released the list of selected candidates online much to the chagrin of local ministers and ADMK leaders and appreciation of people, was immediately transferred and kept on waiting list. Similarly Madurai district collector Sahayam, who was praised for his actions last year by the ADMK regime, was unceremoniously shifted out for telling the media that he would initiate action against the fake godman making news, if he gets complaints.

The worst victim of the gagging of officials by the Jayalalitha regime was the Commissioner of Welfare of the Differently Abled persons, P.R.Sampath, who conceded rampant corruption in his department and said he could not take action lest there would be none left in the department. This confession which was tacitly recorded by a TV reporter when the official was conversing with a group of differently abled persons, was telecast by ‘Times Now’ TV channel.

Following this incident a gag order has been issued by the ADMK government to officials of the government departments at all levels. They have been directed not to speak anything to media persons. Some months back a DSP Dharmarajan was transferred for openly speaking about sand looting.

Writing about the present condition of Tamil Nadu under the dispensation of Jaya regime ‘India Today’ weekly states: “To work as a journalist in Tamil Nadu will only be a curse and punishment for a journalist with self-respect. In the whole of India, the only state without official spokespersons for the state government and the ruling party is Tamil Nadu. It is very very rarely that ministers and officials speak to the media, for which also many a times the journalists have to pay a big price. Good or bad, learning the views of the government and ruling party and register the views of all sides in the reports filed by him is a daunting task for a scribe. Because almost no official is prepared to share with media even information about their departments.”

Speaking about the present condition in Tamil Nadu retired Chief Secretary of Haryana government M.G.Devasahayam has said, “IAS and IPS officials are bound by All India Conduct Rules. But being servants of people, how can they keep their mouths shut when huge corruption takes place. It is different not to criticize the government and keeping mum when mistakes take place. Situation worse than Emergency period prevails in Tamil Nadu.”

What is the respect that even senior IAS and IPS officials are given by Jayalalitha can be seen from the very photographs released by the government- officials standing obediently with their hands folded across or sitting on the edge of chairs. They can be compared similar photographs with Kalaignar when he was the Chief Minister in which officials would be seen attentive but relaxed.

After all Jayalalitha had openly declared in the Assembly that like ring master in circus she was getting the work done by whipping officials. Alas, in the ADMK regime - circus, the ring master and wild animals are interchanged!