Anti-corruption crusade: Words contradict deeds

Though people are happy to see Governor Satya Pal Malik declaring an open war against the corruption and the corrupt but unfortunately the governor’s administration like successive popular governments talks much but does less in fast tracking the investigation and the judicial trial of the accused. Initiating preliminary inquiries in fresh cases against former ministers and bureaucrats is a welcome step but re-opening investigation of the cases left in mid way during successive popular governments in recent years is as serious as the investigation of fresh cases. Unfortunately the governor’s administration is not re-opening such corruption cases in which the previous governments have accorded sanction of prosecution and the charges have been framed against the accused by the anti-corruption courts. Government initiating action against former ministers and bureaucrats on allegations of backdoor appointments and illegal allotment of works is though a welcome step but government not touching those facing allegations of land grabbing in both Kashmir and Jammu divisions of the state speaks volumes about the selective approach pursued in the major institutional offensives against the corrupt and the corruption. Interestingly the revenue authorities recently initiated an anti-encroachment drive against the encroachers in a famed residential colony “Friends Enclave” at Humahama outside Srinagar Airport but the drive was left in the mid way obviously under pressure from influential political and bureaucratic big wigs having allegedly annexed huge green belt areas with their small pieces of land legally under their possession in this famed residential colony.
For the attention of governor’s administration many former ministers are facing trial in forest land grabbing cases both in Kashmir and Jammu regions of the state but their cases are not being re-opened for fast track investigation in the fresh crusade against corruption initiated by the governor’s administration. The people can believe the words of governor’s administration on crusade against corruption only if it puts in public domain the names of those top politicians and bureaucrats against whom sanction for prosecution is awaited for a long time and removes such bureaucrats from the key positions against whom corruption cases are registered in the premier investigative agencies particularly State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) now called Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Crime Branch of Jammu & Kashmir Police. Even allegations of frauds in the date of birth and qualification certificates of some middle rung non-cadre officers had come to the fore during successive popular governments in recent year but they continue to hold key positions in different departments of the state government. Even some budding politicians having joined some national and regional political partie in the state in recent years were facing charges of running rackets of fake qualification certificates prior to their joining politics but the premier investigative agencies don’t dare to re-open the cases against such political workers of doubtful integrity. Triggering political rows won’t take governor’s administration anywhere nearer to indicting and punishing the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats but fast tracking both the investigation and as well as judicial trial in both old and fresh cases of corruption could make a difference.