Probe into Bullet-Proof Vests Scam

Posted on 2009-06-10
IT is really disheartening to know about the supposed scam in the procurement of bullet-proof vests for the Mumbai police. The fall out of this has been the death and injuries to several upright policemen on November 26, 2008. The policemen who donned these vest must have done so out of trust in their higher ups. Perhaps some of them were aware but being duty bound they must have not raised their voice or else did not purposely wear the sub-standard vests. Not only have their families lost their breadwinners but the country too lost some upright officers. Now, as usual the cover-ups, missing files and blame-games have commenced. In spite of evidences pointing to the contrary, it is still firmly believed that the vests are of good quality and their effectiveness to be penetrated by bullets depends on the distance. As they say, the proof is in eating the pudding and the police should test this hypothesis, from the distance recommended by the supplier of the vests.
SRIDHAR D IYER, Taleigao
Shielding Bureaucrats From Politicians
IF the legislation envisaged by the central government would see light of the day then certainly it would come as a great relief to the bureaucracy for it would assure them a fixed-tenure posting of three years, thereby screening them from the high-handedness of the politicians. Needless to say it has become a norm of sorts that the bureaucrats have to dance at the tune of the politicians or face their fury. What transpired in UP on the sidelines of the poll debacle of Ms Mayawati’s BSP in the recent Lok Sabha elections needs little elaboration. With her cherished dream of becoming the Prime Minister reduced to ashes, she wasted little time in giving vent to her ire by transferring some IAS/IPS officers, demoting some and suspending another. Such actions by the powers that be do not bode well in a democracy. No wonder the apex court has sought explanation from the UP government in the matter. It should further be remembered that this is not a case in isolation. Such hostility between the politicians and the civil servants is quite common even in Goa. Recollect the severe friction that was generated in the state some years ago between the then chief minister and the chief secretary.
MICHAEL VAZ, Merces
India’s Bureaucracy Worsening by the Day
POLITICAL and Economic Risk Consultancy, a Hong Kong-based organisation, in its latest report has ranked India’s bureaucracy the worst in Asia, with a score of 9.45 (zero being the best grade and 10 the worst). The special mention is that it is the only country whose ranking has worsened in the last three years. Given our day-to-day experience with the bureaucracy this comes as no surprise. Viewing this as a failure of our policymakers will be a mistake. It is by design that the bureaucracy has been turned into an inefficient and lazy python. For the last 6 decades governments single-minded pursuit has been to identify key resources and build barriers around it in the form of bureaucracy. Education, petroleum, railways, PWD, agriculture every important resource has been guarded. One has through go through so many bureaucratic hurdles that most give up creating a scarcity of resources. This scarcity makes people desperate. The gatekeepers then allow access only to the favoured vote banks. A typical example is how the government prevented the private sector from entering into the field of higher education making it extremely tough to get into IIT/IIMs. It then announced 27 per cent reservation. The bureaucracy merely acts as gatekeepers faithfully doing the job allotted to them. Streamlining it, making it efficient is in the hands of the people who are actually the main beneficiaries of its inefficiency and flaws. How to demand a change is the question.
AKSHAR P DESAI, Canacona