The moment is fast approaching about the corrupt officials and of doubtful integrity who having been instrumental in committing irregularities of different hues, making unauthorised and illegal appointments, encouraged and connived in committing financial irregularities etc in the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) to face the consequences of their doings. That most of them, so far, having been enjoying political patronage and immunity from facing appropriate punishment must start counting their days of reckoning as legal and disciplinary axes are set to fall on them soon for their deeds. Several enquiries instituted against them in as many as eleven wings of the H&UDD continuing to be in a state of wilful deferring, protracting and elongating for the last five years are now sought to be concluded fast with submitting of the findings.
Governor’s administration has taken a serious view of keeping such enquiries in a state of unending pendency. Not only was the step aimed at bringing the guilty to justice but the same was going to lend credence and strength to the accountability and sense of duty and their expected responsibility of resolving the grievances of the people as also impart sense of commitment and seriousness in completing various projects.
Why should not those who were entrusted with the sensitive responsibility of conducting enquiries ordered more than five years back, be put in the stockings for not submitting reports and findings so far? What have they been doing all these five years excepting creating speculations and doubts about the reasons of keeping these enquiries hanging in the balance perhaps to further widen the doors of safe exit to the guilty officers? With their non-serious approach , not only have the guilty officers implanted in them an impression of going scot free and getting no appropriate punishments but such a fate of ordered enquiries was emboldening further the guilty as also enticing some prospective ones , even though expectedly a few only, to indulge in committing irregularities for considerations. The Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Housing and Urban Development has , after reviewing the status of pending enquiries taken a serious view in totality.
This department, otherwise cannot claim to carry a fair image in the public in respect of attending to the routine affairs of the people and redressing of their grievances etc. There have been cogent instances of illegal appointments, allowing and facilitating encroachments, allowing violations of the Master Plan, tampering of official records, embezzlement of funds, financial irregularities in execution of works, defalcations, allotment of contracts in violation of rules and procedures, mis-utilization of funds and the like. A ‘free for all’ like situation exists in this department and the contention that many people treat State Government job as a means and medium of looting public exchequer and demolish the trust of the people, gets confirmed and deep rooted looking to what has been going on in the Housing and Urban Development Department.
That Municipalities, different wings of the H&UDD etc are treated as personal fiefdom and inherited barony by the unscrupulous officials and their patron politicians need to be countered only by the antidote of awarding appropriate punishment plus recovering from the personal assets of the guilty officers, the salaries and wages paid to the illegal appointees from the date of “joining” to their termination and other monies looted by them. The Government must fix a time limit for each and every enquiry ordered by it to look into frauds, irregularities and embezzlements and violating the time limit must be constituted as insubordination. Moreover, enquiries should comprise a team of more than two officials to pre-empt many fears. In the meantime, we shall be closely monitoring the developments in the subject matter.
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