| Published on 08-03-2007 In National |
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| A study of governance methods (Part 17) |
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Written by
Bharadwaj |
When experience results in a step backwards
Normally everyone might presume that ministers who have completed three terms in office would be aware of the pitfalls of impetuous decisions based on wrong information provided by officials working under them. But the exact opposite also takes place in the corridors of power because a sizeable number of IAS officials have mastered the art of managing to sell a lemon to senior cabinet ministers.
It must, however, be said that such behaviour is triggered by a wish to please the ministers and the Chief Minister holding the reins of the government at any given point in time. On several occasions, senior officials taking part in high-level meetings remain aloof on the basis of experience of previous grief due to their gaffes during the earlier essays in their career. Of course, there are exceptions. Here is one of them.
The public, I am sure, would remember that during later part of the former AIADMK regime, Jayalalithaa's outfit had lost in all the 40 parliamentary constituencies when general elections were held. The drubbing was mainly due to several unpopular measures undertaken by the government. The Chief Minister was of the opinion that a roll back of all those decisions would result in a reversal of fortunes during the ensuing assembly elections.
At that point in time, the then Finance Minister C Ponnaiyan was the trusted lieutenant of the CM. Naturally, he was involved in planning, coordination and execution of all major decisions of the government.
One of the measures planned by the government to retrieve lost ground was by embarking upon an ambitious project of providing black-toppings to all village roads This move, the government felt, would create a groundswell of support from rural areas in a big way.
Finance Minister Ponnaiyan decided to deliberate on the matter at a high-level meeting convened for this purpose to garner inputs from cabinet colleagues and senior officials. Several cabinet ministers including O Panneerselvam and K. P Anbazhagan attended it. Apart from them, nearly a dozen senior bureaucrats including Secretaries of Finance, Municipal Administration, Rural Welfare Departments, heads of almost all the arms of the government, besides the centre's NABARD officials were present.
In his preamble, Ponnaiyan announced, "the Hon'ble Chief Minister wished to provide 2000 km of black-topped village roads within a year's time. This meeting has been convened to decide the financial outlay for that and speeding up the works."
As a consequence, the discussion meandered as officials gave details of funds required, the length and breadth of roads needed in each district, the designation of officials who would monitor the progress of the works, the periodicity of reports, etc. All this pep talk resulted in Ponnaiyan proclaiming that 2000 km of roads would be created within a year's time. The then ruling party was bound to reclaim lost ground, or so was the belief of the gathering.
The ministers were naturally in a boisterous mood.
It was precisely at that moment that an official decided to prick the bubble by speaking his mind.
"Sir, please ask the senior officials here whether roads weren't constructed in the past only due to paucity of funds or absence of plans. Under normal situations, at least 500 km of village roads ought to be black-topped every year. But it simply doesn't happen. Allocated funds are surrendered because they are not spent. When that is the order of the day, how do you expect 2000 km of roads to be laid?"
None of those present could provide a proper answer to this pointed question. Most officials looked at each other's worried faces. As Ponnaiyan wanted further information, the official continued with his explanation.
"The main reason for the bad condition of village roads is the absence of good and experienced contractors. Even if outsiders are to be invited to complete the job, vital implements like road rollers aren't available to facilitate the works. Even if one were to agree to provide whatever is necessary, the rates prescribed by the government are simply not financially viable to complete the job. This has been going on for ages. Further, if one were to assume that roads are laid despite these impediments, maintaining them will be impossible because heavily laden bullock carts will create potholes regularly," he averred.
It didn't stop with that.
"If this plan is to be implemented, the entire government machinery – especially the recalcitrant clerks will have to be pressed into service in great haste to collate estimates, plans, blueprints, accounts etc. This is something that they are unwilling to do. [Therefore] in a nutshell, it is difficult to visualise this plan's fructification," the official said with a grim finality.
After the conclusion of the meeting, some IAS officials murmured amongst themselves saying, "these were hitherto unknown facts."
Others who were obviously in the know of things told each other, "these bitter truths shouldn't have been revealed at all. If the meeting had ended on a positive note in the [baseless] belief that 2000 km of roads would indeed be laid in a year, the ministers would have gone back in a good frame of mind. After a year, obviously when the roads aren't ready, there would be a query seeking an explanation for this failure. The same set of reasons revealed now could have been provided at a future date. Nobody can find fault with us for non-completion of these works. All these apart, many amongst us wouldn't be in the same positions a year later," was the common refrain.
In a word, experienced administrators like Ponnaiyan [who had served several terms as a cabinet minister] were found wanting when it came to the crunch – i.e. the thankless job of getting the government machinery to perform at full throttle.
(Translated from Thuglak by TSV Hari) |
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