Friday 16 December 2011

Corrupting the corrupt

Corrupting the corrupt

Why are we worried about fighting corruption? Is it so difficult a task not to achieve it? Are law makers, the administrators and we, the common people responsible for taking corruption to higher levels? These are some questions, which actually, we ourselves need to answer and seek answers from who so ever matters.
The common man is fed up with the malaise of corruption plaguing every walk of life. This malaise has seeped through every pore of our country’s socio-economic, bureaucratic and political fabric so much that common Indian has accepted it as a way of life. The corruption in corporate sector has also assumed enormous proportions. It is true that going is made tougher for the common people in the government offices, police stations top in harassment aimed at extorting money from the complainants. The people are compelled to succumb to the officials corrupt tactics. Innumerable rules and loopholes are cited just to make the complainant mentally prepared that if he/she does not grease their palms, solution to their problem was a distant dream. Correct!
This is again a hard fact that one who dared to object to such tactical delays from the officials in attending to the complaints, face harassments of very different nature. The situation has to some extent changed --courtesy Anna Hazare effect.
But, what about the corruption at higher levels. Is it not a fact that public functionaries and civil servants like class 1 officers feel their corruption is invisible because it is taking place in a quite different and secret form. This corruption may not involve common masses. But, they certainly are affected, indirectly, hitting them very hard.
A union minister, chief minister of a state, senior bureaucrats attend a private function organized by a private five state hospital or five star educational institute, a hotel, a media house, builder etc etc. The message sounds loud and clear to the local administration and people of that particular area. That, even if organizer of that private programme is of criminal background or in order to further his business interests plans to resort to criminal acts, corruption, harass patients, students, clients—violate established laws, the law enforcers should never dare to initiate action. This is quite visible in the society. In most such cases, such VIP visits are facilitated as a cover to their (organizers) misdeeds and at the same time as an attempt to build their reputation.
Even if the big wigs in government are keen to oblige the private parties, it should in any case not be in office hours and there should be complete ban on use of official machinery like red bacon fitted vehicles and involvement of local officers. See a true example of this kind of corruption::--
Imagine gravity of trauma a family is in, having lost their son while falling from a private hospital. The family’s charge is that the hospital charged them about Rs 45,000 for curing a viral fever and his behavior changed after the hospital allegedly injected him some `drugs’. The family members are of the view that he wanted to perform puja, which he was doing on upper story of the hospital when suddenly mobile of her wife started ringing. He left in a huff and his body later found on the ground.
The immediate police version: the victim broke the windowpane and jumped to death. No windowpane is broken, the cops say some thing on day one and change tone after change of guard. But, the family continues to suffer meekly and silently; their quest for knowing real cause of the death still remains.
After the family decided to reach to top cop of that district to request for investigation into the death—the cop (now transferred) assigns the probe to a specific set of cops with the aim to hush it up, which they did. Then came rude shock for the family when they knew that the top cop and the hospital owner were friends, hailing from the same state. This nexus became clear when some noticed that the same cop even after having been transferred has been frequent visitor to this hospital. The constructional fault, the well wishers and friends of the deceased believe was the result of fall of their loved one from the hospital, resulting into his pre-mature death. If the hospital, which charged hefty sum from the patient for his death goes scot free just because some top officials were there to protect it just to enjoy comforts, and favors from such private houses in return and the reason why they are worried when it comes to fighting corruption and the reason why Kolkatta AMRI catastrophe like situation are bound to happen. Since the rulers, as per a renowned journalist have failed to understand that the quest for equality is the dominant feature of the changing country like India.
(The views expressed by the author are personal)