Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 4: It’s not only that 864 departmental enquiries are pending against the Government officers/official for action but a slew of measures proposed by the State Vigilance Commission (SVC) to curb menace of the corruption especially where the common man was directly affected were pending with the Government for the past quite some time. Majority of the suggestions have not been implemented so far.
According to reliable sources, the SVC had been writing to the Government with copy to the Raj Bhawan from time to time for initiating certain steps in various Government departments that could help end corruption but the Government was yet to respond to them. Under the SVC Act, the Commission can advise the anti-corruption measures to the Government but it was the dispensation that was at the helm of affairs, which had to implement them. All these suggestions have been submitted to the Government and the Raj Bhawan.
Sources told the Excelsior that the SVC has recommended to the Government to make mandatory e-tendering in all Government departments and payments of all kind right from contractors to scholarships of school students through bank accounts. The SVC, in its recommendations, is understood to have pointed out that these two steps could go long way in checking corruption in various Government departments as there had been wide spread complaints/allegations of money exchanging hands in payments through cheques.
“The Commission had proposed that all Government departments should switch over to e-tendering immediately and make all kind of payments directly to bank accounts as it felt that this could minimize the corruption to great extent if not curb fully,” sources said but regretted that majority of departments were yet to switch over to the process of e-tendering and only few have followed the practice.
The Commission was said to have proposed that not only the payments of contractors but all kind of payments-be they scholarships of the students, widow or old aged pensions by the Social Welfare Department-should be made only through bank accounts and not cheques. However, this practice was yet to be implemented by most of the departments in the absence of clear cut directions by the Government.
Sources said the Vigilance Commission believed that most of the Government departments were intentionally not switching over to e-tendering and debting payment directly to bank accounts as this could check the corruption. “Even the Government has not made it mandatory for the Government to go for e-tendering and stop all kind of payments by cheques. The Departments would have to follow the Government orders if they make the e-tendering and payment by accounts mandatory,” they added.
“If the Central Government can provide on account LPG subsidy to 20 crore consumers in just two months, why can’t the Government here give scholarships, old age and widow pensions and payments to contractors, all of which account for few thousands, by account”?, they asked. Though in some cases, the Government has started making payments through bank accounts but in majority of cases, the cheque system was being followed.
The SVC has given some significant suggestions to the Government pertaining to issuance of documents including state subjects by the Revenue authorities. It has recommended that all formalities required for state subjects and other Documents should be put online so that the people didn’t have to frequent offices of the Revenue authorities and approach them after completing their formalities.
“As far as 1951 voter list was concerned, the document for which the people had to make lot of efforts for taking state subjects, the SVC is said to have suggested that the voter lists should be kept by the Deputy Commissioners with them so that the people don’t have to bribe the Revenue authorities to get the list.
“Why the people should procure 1951 voter list? Why can’t the DCs keep it with them? This will not only check corruption but help the people in easily procuring the state subjects and other important documents,” the SVC suggested.
It has called for putting an end to “NOC (No Objections Certificate) and Inspector Raj in the grant of building permissions and switching over to the foreign pattern under which the Departments prescribe guidelines (separate laws for separate cities, towns and localities) for construction of buildings.
“The land owners don’t need to get NOCs or building permissions. They just construct their buildings as per specifications prescribed by the authorities for their localities. The Departments can dismantle the buildings if they were not constructed as per the specifications,” sources said, adding this would not only put an end to hardships faced by the people in procuring building permission but also end the `NOC and Inspector Raj’.
Moreover, the SVC is reported to have written to the Government as well as the Raj Bhawan that the Commission has now powers to act or investigate the complaints made to it but only recommend the cases to the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO). Further, the SVO’s administrative control lies with the Government and not the SVC.
“The SVC can only supervise but can’t direct the SVO how to investigate the case. It can only ask the SVO to register case and investigate,” sources said, adding the commission monitors the cases like Courts and hasn’t been given powers to works as the field agency and conduct raids. Even SVC’s supervision over the SVO comes with a rider that it can’t direct the investigations,” sources said.
Worthwhile to mention here that the SVC was still without 35 per cent working rank staff. It had taken the previous Government one year to equip the SVC with little bit staff to make it functional.
Only few days back, Governor NN Vohra had taken serious note of the SVC report that there were 864 departmental enquiries regarding corruption of other charges of irregularities against officers/officials of the Government and Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) pending with the Departmental Vigilance Officers (DVOs). He had fixed March 31, 2016 deadline for completion of all enquiries.
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