Wrong signals of governance

India needs a mass-based movement to uproot the decaying philosophy of life, best exemplified by our leaders’ behaviour. But it is not just the leaders, the solution lies in the actions of every individual

The Modi Government comfortably defeated the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on July 20 due to the great comedy show by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi as also due to the solid punches given by Prime Minister Modi to the Opposition.

Nevertheless, such theatrics go on to show that our politicians have least respect for serious issues, like rampant corruption and loot of resources, inhuman psychology and degradation of moral values, among others, that ail the Indian society.  Ultimately, the rule of law has become synonymous with jungle raj in many spheres of public life.

Take for example, the collapse of a six-storey building in Greater Noida’s Shah Beri village on July 17, that claimed nine lives. The place, where the incident took place is around 30 km away from Parliament, the seat of national power where animated discussions continued for three days after this gruesome tragedy happened.

The fact is that each time such serious incidents happen, it shakes the conscience of the people. What else would explain the quick migration of panic-striken locals who started moving out of their residence with their belongings soon after the incident happened?

Had it been any other country, the Parliament would have at least passed a condolence message, remembering those who died, and the judiciary would have taken suo moto action against those found guilty. This is not just the failure of the governance system but the moral values of the society too have gone for a toss. The ill-treatment meted out to animals and elders, and an increase in the number of incidents of rapes and murders have all sullied the so-called civilisational values of India.

Nevertheless, the collapse of a building in Greater Noida showed that India is not far from becoming a compromised republic that is ruled by mafia, masquerading as governing agents and social workers. Post this incident, several unauthorised structures have popped  up. Officials, in conniving with builders, have led to the mushrooming of unauthorised constructions across the Capital.

The unholy nexus between the builders and the officials that has continued since years, was unearthed due to this tragedy. Today, a large number of flat owners, numbering around 50,000, are suffering due to the fraud committed by the likes of the Amrapali Group and JP builders, who are even playing truant with the Supreme Court with no means in sight to help the poor flat owners. The growth of illegal residential constructions, as well as the real estate market, is not a recent phenomenon. It has continued since ages, thanks to an inept bureaucracy and the politicians who are governed by self-interests and regularise this sector only during election time.

However, it is also the case that regularisation of forest land encroachment has often been done routinely. In the process, large blocks of forest lands were bartered away, thereby giving a bad name to the The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. Essentially, criminal intentions for the sole purpose of earning money is the real cause of concern in today’s society as those who indulge in such illegal acts are roaming scot-free and even occupying important positions in the country with the help of lawmakers.

It is mind-boggling that the builder of the six-storey building in Greater Noida flouted structural norms and used poor quality materials for construction purpose. According to the  National Disaster Response Force, as against the prescribed cement with sand ratio of one is to four, or at the most, one is to five, the ratio at which the building was constructed was as skewed as one is to 20. Other builders, too, constructed similar buildings in the nearby area.

An entire brigade of corrupt engineers, staff and other senior officers was gleefully registering these unsafe buildings, pushing several lives in the throes of danger. Worse, none had any qualms about it as they have never been brought to book.

There is an old saying in politics, “You get the Government you deserve”. It will, however, be ingenuous to just put the blame on the officials and politicians. The fundamental issue here is that the rot begins at societal systems.

India’s first smart and green highway, the 135-km long Eastern Peripheral Expressway, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this year.

It is a matter of shame that weeks after the inauguration local people did not stay away from stealing solar lights and even back-up generators worth crores of rupees from the area. This reflects highly on people’s mentality. No Government can function smoothly unless the citizenry behaves as civilised.

Europe is a fine example of social upheaval. From the historic barbaric acts of street fight, the country has moved towards establishing social order. The Renaissance of the 12th and the 13th century was a period of changes in social, political and economic backdrop, which resulted in tremendous intellectual revitalisation of Europe with strong scientific roots. These changes, later on, resulted in achievements in the field of literary, science and artistic movements, and ultimately the scientific developments of the 17th century.

India needs a mass-based movement to uproot the present philosophy of life, best exemplified by the behaviour of our leaders. Indian governance, too, needs a drastic change, as disclosed by Prime Minister Modi himself.

Indian banks disbursed 52 lakh crore loans from 2009 to 2014, compared to 18 lakh crore disbursed since independence till 2008. It is high time that leaders of all political parties sit together and adopt a national charter of governance to arrive at a consensus for nation-building.

All administrative ills take place when the top echelons start sending the wrong signals. In the meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Government must immediately take strict action and dissolve the Noida authorities and several others. It is because of them that people have been suffering.

The system has become incorrigible and the Government should also issue arrest warrants for all officers responsible for the Shah Beri building collapse.

The Union Government must make negligence by officials a cognisable offence and set up a fast-track court to deal with such cases along with summary dismissal of such people. There are umpteen number of unfair decisions and misuse of power by officers of the level of Secretary under the Government.

Reforms in punishing such people must be initiated and the Prime Minister must take an avid interest in this incident to set the ball rolling for other leaders. Our future cannot be dependent upon the Government alone. The ultimate solution lies in the attitude and actions of the citizens.

(The writer is a Retired Civil Servant)