Yearning for brighter tomorrow - Good bye 2010

This year was the darkest one on two grounds. Firstly,the unhindered spread of corruption continued and scams of unbelievable amounts surfaced like the one involving distribution of 2G spectrum and also the provision of infrastructure for CWG was soaked in unashamed taint of corruption.But the second cause of worry is that the unabated march of corruption has started to have its adverse impact on the parliamentary democracy in the country. The entire winter session was lost as no consensus could emerge on the opposition demand for JPC probe. The forthcoming budget session is also likely to meet the same fate as things stand today. The government has certainly to hide something by not conceding JPC but the opposition is unnecessarily insisting on JPC as the existing arrangements in terms of PAC  have unfettered rights and powers. If the country is supreme in their scheme of things , no party should stand on prestige as the need of the hour is to have consensus on corruption rather than politicking. The latter course can lead to unimaginable disasters as people's faith in the existing system is eroding fast.The unexplainable price rise of essential food commodities like onions is further salting the wounds  of the common man as he smells some big scam behind this price rise.
Never before the country was in such dire straits ! May the new year kinder the flame of statesman spirit in those who are in the lead role.

Corruption puts poor man's health in jeopardy

The other day, IBN channel telecast a sting operation titled 'Yamdoot' wherein it was shown as to how the poor people were  not being given free treatment in private hospitals despite theirs having been allotted the prime land on concessional rates on the undertaking that the poor will be given free treatment.The private hospitals cater to the needs of elite population of the country who have accumulated wealth through tax evasion or have acquired the same through bribes.The middle class, except those covered under reimbursement schemes, also can  not dream of getting treatment in these hospitals .The government has steadily withdrawn itself from the health sector and has put a vast population of the country at the mercy of these sharks. There are reports of unnecessary costly treatments being imposed upon ignorant patients to maximize profits.The withdrawal syndrome of the governments has also jeoparadized the working of Government Hospitals wherein corruption is ruling the roost.

In my city, we used to be proud of the medical college cum hospital and there was always a beeline of guests from our village getting specialized treatment in this hospital.The building and other infrastructure of this hospital remains at that level even after four decades but there has been tremendous development in so far as unethical practices are concerned ie. fleecing poor patients.Therefore, it is not surprising that private hospitals have mushroomed in the immediate vicinity of this once premeir institution and are shadowing its glory.

Neera Yadav Case- need to pinpoint the perpetrators and the perpetuators of corruption

There is a good news for all those who are fighting a second war of independence of the country from the clutches of the entrenched corrupt and crafty that Mrs Neera Yadav, former Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, has been sentenced to four year jail term for her involvement in NOIDA land scam  .http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/uttarpradesh/Neera-Yadav-spends-night-in-prison-served-jail-food/Article1-635915.aspx.The another good point is that she has been arrested and has been kept in a jail. This is well deserved detention as these cases are of the fence eating the crop.Mrs Neera Yadav had the distinction of having been elected as one of the three the most corrupt officers of UP by IAS Officers Association of the State in 1997 and yet she rose to become Chief Secretary of the largest State of the country. Thanks to benevolent leaders like Mr Mulayam Singh who disregarded all the adverse reports against this officer to elevate her to the top assignment in the state which in fact meant an open license to loot the exchequer.It was the crusading zeal of some concerned citizens who invited intervention by honorable SC and secured her removal as the Chief Secretary of UP otherwise UP would have been poorer even more.
During my career in a stare power utility in the state of Punjab where I was simultaneously spearheading a crusade against corruption, a notoriously corrupt officer facing a CBI case in Rs 14 crore power theft case was successively promoted and posted as a GM  of a prestigious thermal plant. I had to strain extra nerves to see that the amount of loot by this officer was kept to a minimum.
This brings us to an important aspect of such cases. Is it not desirable to rope in the masters like Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav under section 120B of CrPC for having conspired to enable Mrs Yadav to freely loot the exchequer?

Highway construction- Slack quality control?

The widening of national highways is in progress in every part of the country with widening and upgradation being undertaken by private parties on their own expense and recovering the expenses through charging of toll.When I move to any part of my state of Punjab ,construction activity can be seen going on the highways .Having been exposed to construction of Iraq Expressway NO. 1 for four years from 1981 to 1985 when I was working as Senior Structural Engineer with State Organisation of Roads and Bridges, I feel inclined to have a feel of the construction activities.Whereas I feel quite elated to find modern equipment and machinery at work , I fail to find enough activity of quality control of various components of work ie compaction testing of earthwork etc. On such huge construction sites, the quality testing should be fairly visible as was being noticed in Iraq Expressway NO 1.
Having been a curious student of corruption in construction industry, I have a reason to believe that some thing is amiss and that we may not get full use from these national assets when these are finally handed over after expiry of toll collection period. Also, there could be incidents of failure of structures causing embarrassment.
As such, there is an urgent need to evolve suitable regulatory mechanisms to ensure quality control in these mega projects lest we become an object of mockery in the international arena. The public has to exercise proper control and pressure through NGOs.

Failure of 650 crore brand new bridge over Yamuna near Banda in UP

The news item telecast by news channels reporting failure of a span of bridge over Yamuna near Banda (UP) only 13 days after its inauguration should awaken the polity to the  disasters with which our country is beset on account of increasing clout of corruption on our institutions. The bridge had been built at a cost of Rs650 crores.The visuals shown in the news -items depicted clearly that the concrete was of a very poor quality.During my entire service of over three decades in construction industry, including a stint of four years as Senior Structural Engineer with Section 11 of Iraq Expressway No 1, I have never seen such a poor quality of concrete. This episode confirms my belief that the engineers and officials of the supervising agency are ready to overlook any thing in return for the commissions they are receiving from the contractors.The country had been recently put to shame due to the collapse of an under construction foot bridge near JLN stadium only a few days before CWG. Also, there have been incidents of failure of under construction chimneys during last one year.

These incidents will go on increasing if the institutional arrangement for overseeing construction of public services is not toned up. Also, there is a need to force the concerned authorities to take strict action against the guilty contractors and the conniving officials. This has to be done by public as the concerned governments have abdicated their responsibility.