Political science pundits always say that though democracy is recognized as the best form of governance yet given human weaknesses and eccentricities, there are many peculiar aberrations in it that sometimes come up glaringly. As the law of nature goes, nothing has been created in the world with the tag of perfection. If humans are not created perfect then how any institution created by man can be considered perfect. For example, political scientists are still grappling with the question of majority syndrome in a democratic dispensation. After all democracy is a game of numbers and those conforming to one shade of opinion are the majority and the Government. The question is whether the minority is totally off the mark and its views have no validity and space? This cannot be true because the dissidents or the minority group is also a component of the society.
Democracy does not warrant that the person or the party enjoying majority vote is devoid of human failings and eccentricities. It is not that. However, democracy being promoter of tolerance, educates one to harmonize the angularities and be part of the mainstream. A strange eccentricity has come to light in respect of some of our elected representatives in the legislature including some of them who have been elevated to hold ministerial positions. Under rules, MLAs are sanctioned a definite amount under the head Constituency Development Fund. This has uniform sanction and the purpose is that elected representatives utilize this fund for developmental and improvement or repair work in their respective constituencies. Some of the more resourceful MLAs have devised ways to use this fund more for gaining cheap popularity and media hype rather than adding something to tangible development of their constituencies. They announce some projects or schemes in their constituencies by releasing a meager amount which they know is not at all sufficient to bring that project to completion. After starting the work with that meager contribution, soon a stage comes when the project opens up and needs funding to bring it to completion. Then the representative approaches the Government departments for funding to bring the project to completion. The departments have no provisions for providing from any head to oblige the MLA or the Minister. In this way unauthorized liability is created for the Government.
Since this has become a recurrent feature, the administration has taken serious note of the irregularity. Therefore, the Government has issued instructions to all the Administrative Secretaries, District Development Commissioners and Heads of all Departments to ensure that no unauthorized liabilities are created by the Legislators or Ministers. These officers have been explicitly told that they shall be personally held responsible for non-compliance of instructions. The Legislators are making tall promises only to win the favour of the voters in the constituency without ascertaining whether any project which they float can be supported by a dependable source of funding or not. They run after cheap publicity and keeping their vote bank happy with them. This is one of the aberrations of democratic dispensation. It has to be reminded that whenever any big or small developmental project is proposed, discussed and finally approved by the Government or the District Development Board, the views and opinion of the concerned MLA or MLC is invariably taken into account. They know the mill through which developmental proposal has to go before it is finally accepted for implementation. How come that they circumvent the rules and procedures and try to misled the people into imagining that they will be able to fund the project announced. It is tantamount to blackmailing the voters and giving them false promises which will never be fulfilled. The result is that most of such projects are either abandoned soon after their inauguration or are left half way or never completed. All senior level officers have been told to ensure that all the necessary Administrative Approvals and Technical Sanctions are obtained before taking up the execution of works/projects.
They have also been asked to ensure that the works/projects are properly tendered/allotted only after obtaining investment clearance from the funding source and the same shall be executed/completed within the available allocation only.
We appreciate that the Government has risen to occasion and passed necessary orders to undo unauthorized liabilities and stop irregularities at the level of the elected representatives of the people.
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