Eradicating corruption!

It’s a menace encouraged through adhocracy

Since long we carry a tarnished image of unreliable society and at times we were graded as second most corrupt system in the country. There are many reasons that influence our deviousness as a nation and the levels of dishonesty in our administrative system. Materialism, manifesting in dangerous levels of greed has exposed our society to crookedness and the fringe corrupt element within the administration being mirror image of cunning elements in the society is no less worthless. At occasions even the saner elements in the administration surrender to fate of corruption as their own efforts to curb corruption are rendered ineffective by scandalously organized corrupt mafia working brazenly on their agenda of deceit and deception within the system. Many torch bearers of honesty and whistle blowers were either lured to colour fields of corruption or pushed to the oblivions of obscurity!

At present Kashmir is suffering badly on economic front. September floods shattered most of our infrastructure, however worst hit was our economy; floods brought the state’s economic wheel to standstill. Where on one hand this whole scenario of misery brought most of us together and explored hidden talent of resilience within us, yet a whole lot of exploiters and corrupt elements flourished in the garb of well-wishers and so-called crisis managers. Most of the people were of the opinion that post floods; situation will change for the best. But unfortunately we have turned worst! Corruption has entered not only in our psyche but it looks it has invaded our genetic map as well, making most of us the ‘givers and takers’ of shameless kickback system. For long several political and administrative dispensations tried their level best to curb menace of corruption, however much of their remedial measures being preventive rather than curative made the menace to resurge, changing its deceptive colour and shape like cancerous cells.

Strengthening of existing anti-graft institutions like state vigilance department, appointment of departmental vigilance officers and other measures to contain corruption can be termed as only preventive. In recent past popular governments in line with the federal government drafted and invoked laws to curb corruption and initiated other measures to develop a transparent system with access to almost all information related to governance. Right to Information Act (RTI), State Accountability Commission and later State Vigilance Commission can be termed as revolutionary steps to start a front against corruption. But again these measures are curative that too when these institutions have been left at the mercy of state administration itself. Several years back the fate of State Accountability Commission for a longer period as a one-man show where cases could not be decide due to lack of presiding officers: then later change in RTI rules was no less a veiled intrusion into the affairs of these prestigious institutions. At present the worst contributing factor for flourishing corruption in our administrative system seems to be the menace of additional charge of higher posts to government officers and officials, making adhocracy part of our administrative lexicon. We cannot blame the administration of wilful adaptation to adhocracy and thus encouraging dishonesty. The existing economic status of the state has exposed our administrative system to vagaries of flawed governance (not intentional bad governance). In an effort to keep the system running the authorities resort not only to practice of one additional charge system but at times officers have been and are elevated much above their substantive positions by several steps. Obviously, this process of ‘quantum jump’ elevation in contravention to all existing rules most often invites corruption and then a huge ball of corrupt practice at the hands of beneficiaries of unjustified elevations gets rolling. Interesting stories of chief engineers in state departments at the end of the day retiring substantively as executive engineers or other head of the departments and senior officers ending their innings practically much below their rank and status is a common story of our administrative system. The contribution of these undue beneficiaries is ‘Qissa E Pareena’. This glaring example of compulsive adhocracy not only gives way to inefficiency, but surely to a large extent encourages and breeds corruption.

We as a nation have to pledge our whole hearted support towards anti-graft policies as envisioned in our respective religious beliefs and try to contribute in curbing the menace of corruption. And the state in addition to its existing curative measures will have to work on the broader canvas of deterrence against corruption.