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Bihar govt's anti-corruption drive not effective
The government's bid to rein in corruption through trap cases seems to have come a cropper in the state. Though in last three years, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau managed to trap over 300 government officials, it has virtually made them eligible for the government freebies.
The government's bid to rein in corruption through trap cases seems to have come a cropper in the state. Though in last three years, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau managed to trap over 300 government officials, it has virtually made them eligible for the government freebies.
Since the accused officials are under suspension and not convicted, it makes them entitled to half the salary.
“Barring a few cases, almost all the public servants trapped by the Bureau since January 2006 are still under suspension The government is paying half the salary for no work,” the official said, adding that the government should either expedite the process of getting them convicted or revoke their suspension immediately as huge sum was going down the drain.
Majority of the officials caught red-handed by the Bureau belonged to Transport Department, Commercial Taxes Department, Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Registration Department, Sales Tax Department, Welfare Department, Home (police) Department and Department of Weights and Measurement.
“The suspension of the police officials, who were trapped and arrested red-handed, has already been revoked. Not only that, they have been posted as station house officers in important districts,” said a police officer on the condition of anonymity."
Sources said that suspension of most of the officials has not been reviewed for a long time.
“In no case, suspension has been reviewed. As a result, they are being denied of mandatory 25 per cent increase in salary payment after the completion of one year of suspension,” the official said.
The department concerned has also stopped the payment of the House Rent Allowances (HRA) to the suspended public servants. “It is a double whammy for the officials,” said a suspended block development officer. The officer is under suspension for the past three years.
As per rules, the suspension order should be reviewed every three months but this has not been done in most of the cases. The administration was not in favour of revoking the suspension of the trapped public servants. This can be gauged from the fact that the government filed an LPA against the High Court order to revoke suspension of a Commercial Taxes Department official.
Notably, a special drive was launched by the Bureau against corruption on the directive of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had received numerous complaints about involvement of public servants in corrupt practices.
