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By Pradeep S Mehta
Cause of concern Another malady
in many of our authorities is presence of brokers, who
become mandatory channels to get what one could get in
routine
When one former bureaucrat
cannot get things moving, what will be the plight of the hoi
polloi? If Narendra Modi can whip the bureaucracy across
country to follow the Gujarat form of glasnost, our citizens
will be happier and productive.
Yesterday I wrote about the high
level of bureaucratic responsiveness in Gujarat based upon
our own empirical experiences and compared it with Madhya
Pradesh. Our own findings have also been validated by
reliable people living in Gujarat and MP, by anecdotes. If
Madhya Pradesh is doing well in terms of growth, Gujarat is
doing better by taking along its people. Is the same
happening in Rajasthan? The short answer is no.
Let me share a sad experience,
which my own colleagues had when tracking absenteeism in 30
primary health care centres in Tonk district through the
community monitoring methodology. Perhaps, city folks may
not be aware of this serious handicap as in most cases
doctors and paramedics are just not available at their duty
stations in rural areas. This means that our people often
get sick. This gets worse over time and thus people lose
their productivity. Rather than us monitoring such issues,
we feel that the local community should do it and thus get
empowered.
After recording the findings of
the community, they asked for photocopies of the attendance
records of a particular month from the district medical
chief to cross-check the community’s report. The bureaucracy
hummed and hawed and did not deliver. Then a lower level
clerk told my colleague to file an RTI enquiry, so they can
protect their backs. The data was then furnished within the
time period. My concern is that should not the RTI Act have
a sunset clause, when anyone in the government would become
cooperative ab initio in furnishing information when asked
for by a citizen. The law does require them to be upfront in
sharing information. Perhaps that is a dream, but many
countries in the world do not have a law like RTI and yet
are transparent and responsive.
Another malady which exists in
many of our authorities is the ubiquitous presence of
brokers, who become mandatory channels to get what one could
get in the usual course. A colleague, Madhu Sudan Sharma,
purchased a house in Malviya Nagar in Rajasthan Housing
Board colony in 2008 from an existing owner and got it
registered when he received the possession. He had to get
his purchase validated by the RHB. He asked them to furnish
photocopies of the original documents and visited the
relevant deputy commissioner number of times, but to no
avail. When frustrated, the DC’s PA suggested that my
colleague should approach a broker who would incentivise the
lower-level staff to pull out the old records from their
depository. But Madhu Sudan, trained as a crusader, filed an
RTI enquiry. Voila, the information tumbled out of the
cobwebbed closets.
I have been a victim of the same
on many occasions not only with the JMC or their
councillors, but also the Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of
Jaipur Police. And this is in spite of several reminders
with copies to their superiors.
The police authorities once told
me they do not have adequate resources. I shot off a letter
to the state finance secretary. I did not get an
acknowledgement, but did see a rise in budget allocation.
Alas, that did not much help in
improving the terrible traffic situation. Therefore, it
would not be prudent to say that the government is always
unresponsive.
One of the finest bureaucrats in
Rajasthan that I have met is Rajendra Bhanawat. He has
recently retired from the IAS. In a national daily, he
recently wrote about his own sad experiences in trying to
get the administration to respond. His street lights were
not working. He registered his complaint on the JMC
helpline. He pursued the matter relentlessly for six months.
Every time he got the stereotyped answer that his complaint
is being attended to. The lights are not working until now.
Bhanawat writes about his second
experience as well. This is in wider public interest. An
eight-storied hospital being constructed near Jawahar Circle
was breaking some of the municipal laws. For instance,
constructing a 100-metre and three-metre high platform on
the 200-feet-road making it impossible for pedestrians to
use the footpath, which stood virtually devoured. On the
other hand, the access gate into the hospital has been
positioned on the narrow side road of 30 feet instead of the
broader road of 200 feet.
Bhanawat sent six letters to the
Chief Secretary and made several calls to concerned officers
in eight months, but no effective action has been taken. A
symbolic demolition did take place. It was rebuilt the next
day.
When one former bureaucrat
cannot get things moving, what will be the plight of the hoi
polloi? If Narendra Modi can whip the bureaucracy across
country to follow the Gujarat form of glasnost, our citizens
will be happier and productive.
The writer is Secretary General,
CUTS International (views expressed are his own)
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