In Mafia Raj Honesty Is Worst Casualty

DURGA SAKTI NAGPAL, IAS

It is ‘mafia raj’. No matter what the Supreme Court observes, strong lobby of contractors with bagful of money have and will have their way in any state of the country. The Uttar Pradesh government headed by Akhilesh Yadav, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav has done the act in blatant violation of the apex court order not in letter but in spirit. A young IAS officer was victimized for doing her job honestly in NOIDA, Durga Shakti Nagpal, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate had seized trucks and dumpers of sand contractors who were illegally lifting sand from the bed of river Yamuna. She was suspended from service by the chief minister under the garb of ‘disturbing communal harmony’ in the state.

A wall of the mosque illegally constructed was demolished by the orders of the SDM. It was enough provocation or reason to remove the officer. There was no communal tension in the area as claimed by the government. On the contrary, the Police reported that everything was calm and there was no tension. Just a few days before sacking Durga, the U P Government had removed the mining officer of the area for checking illegal mining of sand.

Hardly, the ink had dried on the suspension order of the SDM, the mafia has returned to the bed of Yamuna with more than 200 trucks and dumpers. The business has resumed and so has the supply of money to Lucknow.

It is an old story. No upright officer posted in NOIDA or Greater NOIDA survives his term of three years in office. He or she is shifted within months of joining if the officer tries to enforce rules and check illegal land dealings and settlement. Any attempt to check illegal mining is also frustrated by the state government.

How one can expect the country to have good governance when the government connives with criminals and mafias?

True to its characters, the Congress has preferred to maintain ‘silence’ on the suspension of the officer and on illegal mining of sand in the area. How can Congress speak against corruption? The Party has always encouraged corrupt practices in the government and has helped people to make fortunes by doling out favours be it increasing the price of natural gas or petrol to private players.

See what Salman Khursheed, a senior Congress minister said on the issue. According to Khrusheed, the hands of the government are tied. Can he say that the hands of the Congress are also chained? Well, it is entirely under the purview of the state government to appoint, transfer and suspend its officials. The Centre can’t intervene. But the Congress Party has no restriction on speaking out its mind on an issue that has generated a national debate and outrage. Why can’t the Congress condemn the illegal mining which is a serious threat to environment? The platitudes of its ministers at world environment conferences showing concern about the global warming and environmental pollution sound hollow.   

Everything has a price. The silence of the Congress leaders on illegal mining can be attributed to its policy of appeasement to regional satraps. The UPA Government and the Congress Party will not attack Mulayam Singh since they need his political support now and may be in the future. Already, the government is trying to influence the CBI which is investigating the Disproportionate Assets case against Mulyam Singh to give the Samajvadi Party leader a clean chit in the case. How can it criticize the UP Government for a ‘small thing like illegal sand mining”?

~R. K. Sinha