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Fight for your right with full might
AS HINDUSTAN Times starts a nationwide campaign ?Drive against Bribes? I am reminded of a nightmarish experience of a young boy from Uttaranchal, who quit his high-profile job to serve his ?janmabhumi?. An enthusiast, he geared up some of his like-minded friends along with funds (much of which was raised by disposing their personal assets) and started a school in his village in Garhwal division (in undivided UP) confident that the state bureaucracy would not only appreciate his noble gesture, but also extend a helping hand.
AS HINDUSTAN Times starts a nationwide campaign ‘Drive against Bribes’ I am reminded of a nightmarish experience of a young boy from Uttaranchal, who quit his high-profile job to serve his ‘janmabhumi’. An enthusiast, he geared up some of his like-minded friends along with funds (much of which was raised by disposing their personal assets) and started a school in his village in Garhwal division (in undivided UP) confident that the state bureaucracy would not only appreciate his noble gesture, but also extend a helping hand.
But he was aghast at the official unconcern. His first step into the august secretariat brought him face to face with the ‘real face’ of the babus. Besides laudable words, no help came forward.
This is when he contacted me through a colleague in Delhi. Believe me, even my own experience was no better though I knew every officer connected with his file. Problem was less with the bureaucrats (some were indeed helpful). It was more with the babus, who were unhesitatingly overruling the orders of their bosses. Some (mis)quoted rules to buttress their views, while others took refuge under some other filmsy grounds.
The reason we came to know when he started following up his case. As he moved from one section to another tracing the untraceable file (which used to be dug out after intervention of some higher official whom I contacted almost every second week), he realised that only the ‘grease’ would move the hands needed to move the file.
So one day he told me that people in the plains drink lots of tea and eat lots of sweets in the secretariat. Later he explained that from getting an entrance pass for the Vidhan Bhawan to meeting babus from one desk to another to know the progress of the file (forget section), he had to spend money on their entertainment in the form of paan, chai and mithai. Finally after over an year long chase at various levels by both of us, the school got recognition. Today I was thinking only if we had this Right to Information law then, perhaps his run for justice would have been easier. A letter, with a rightly worded question in the right quarters, would have brought him information on the progress of his case, for which he was forced to grease palms besides running from pillar to post. It’s another matter that chai-paani won’t do today, as expectations would be much bigger. Sadly though, bribe has also been accepted by all of us as a part of the system.
Yes, HT campaign, “Say no to bribe, use RTI” is to awaken people about this powerful tool that they have now acquired to keep the babus in check. It may not get them roads, power or water immediately, but it would certainly throw the recalcitrant officials, who are denying them their due rights, in a highly tight spot. Their every action would come under a scanner, at least they would live with this fear. Undeniably, shady acts don’t flourish when there is transparency.
Success of RTI would depend on the number of people who would take pledge. “I will never pay any bribe, instead I will use RTI”. Success would also depend on our knowledge of the ambitious law, as a slip can make you fall from your mission. After all we are fighting the age-old mindsets of not sharing information.
A senior police official told the other day how his boss had told him how to disclose minimum of information while job had entailed answering queries of parliamentarians on the floor of the house. Three words that were given to him to reply to all answers were , ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘Question does not arise’. It happened in 1972. Today majority of the questions get a cryptic reply, “Information is being collected”.
Yes RTI can be turned into a handly public tool to pressure or penalise babus who only believe in not sharing information. In other words, in concealing more than revealing.
There are bound to be obstacles on our way. Getting a secretariat pass for one.
But then one day someone is going to ask the rules for issuance of secretariat pass. Believe me as most of the time passes are allotted to people, sometimes undesirable elements, on recommendation of some minister or MLA, babus are bound to have a relook at the rules, at least before they deny you one.
Yes, patience is required along with knowledge. During its fortnight-long campaign HT would give handy tips every day on how to use it effectively. It’s a long battle but then someone, somewhere has to begin it. Or else bribe would keep changing its colours, from ‘chai-paani’ to expensive gifts -- to what not.
