A sordid story of lack of coordination in inter-department and intra-department administration has come to light. It shows that some officials, even at higher levels, and in very responsible positions, are behaving in totally irresponsible if not defiant manner in discharging their official duty.
For instance, why should the Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department dispatch another missive almost pleading with the Chief Engineers, HoDs and field agencies/ officers to cooperate with the inspecting officers by providing all necessary/ requisite information as well as logistic support pertaining to the projects, when there is an explicit Government order issued to all HoDs, CE and other senior level officers in which they are tasked to provide full information to the inspection teams that are required to send in monthly progress reports of projects undertaken. In the culture of upright administration orders not appeal are issued. Not only that, orders have to be implemented at any cost and reports of implementation submitted. On this count there can be no compromise.
The Government has a structured system of inspection and assessment of progress of various projects whether financed by the State or by the Union Government. Apparently, this looks sensible structuring of the system. However, the question is just putting the system in place does not mean that the target has been achieved. Structuring is one part of the task and the more important part of it is implementation. If sections of bureaucracy are becoming hurdles in the way, these hurdles have to be removed. It is the responsibility of the Government to decide how it would remove the hurdles. In this matter, we are sorry to say that the complainant of the Government of some bureaucrats not cooperating is a reflection on the Government itself and speaks of its inefficiency. No efficient Government goes around making a long litany of complaints against its functionaries. No efficient Government makes appeals to its subordinates and functionaries to implement this or that order. Where is the might of the state if that is the culture of administering?
In these columns we have, many a time, raised the issue of various projects left half way or never begun at all. We have also said that invariably Centrally sponsored projects and schemes have, by and large, remained inconclusive. Progress of our State has been hampered and our problems are piling up. That is why we had said that a committee of experts should be constituted and tasked to find out common reasons for leaving Centrally sponsored projects half way and then abandoning it for long periods. A comprehensive report from this committee would go a long way in plugging the loopholes. The State Government needs a very clear cut policy on this issue and a testified methodology of implementing the projects without fault or failure. No quarter is to be shown to the functionaries who create hurdles in smooth execution of the projects.
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