Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Secretary S.M. Vijayanand has not contemplated resigning, but fictitious stories of his imminent departure from service have gained currency, thanks to a reckless Vigilance mechanism in the State.
Mr Vijayanand’s D Day is January 20, the deadline set by the Vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram to receive the Vigilance probe report on allegations of corruption against ADGP R. Sreelekha and whether Mr Vijayanand had conspired to delay her case reaching the court.
In tow are his senior colleagues in the Secretariat, awaiting the Vigilance knock on their doors. Across the civil service steel frame, there is a palpable sense of despondency. “If it was the unblemished Dr K.M. Abraham (Additional Chief Secretary –Finance) a few weeks back, it could me tomorrow. We have to defend ourselves,” said a young IAS officer, echoing the level of deep-sunken morale in governance.
From the Chief Secretary to the assistant collector, the overriding sentiment is one of helplessness as the powers-that-be, especially Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, supposed to protect them “iterate backing for a Vigilance chief, who runs amok”.
The comment about the Vigilance chief comes from the very top bureaucracy but in these troubled times prefers anonymity.
It is "intriguing" why Mr Vijayan, who is determined to move on the fast lane towards development, looks the other way, asks another officer citing the level of deceleration in governance.
The annual Plan fund utilization has been the lowest in four years at 27.8 percent as against 35 percent the previous year and that too when the treasury has been flush with funds. This, when the 35 percent average Plan achievement in previous years was rated as being below par.
All major projects entailing land acquisition, be it Vizhinjam or Metro, have decelerated in the wake of the Vigilance observation that negotiated purchase of land involves corruption. No officer worth the salt now ventures to negotiate, scared of the Sword.
Since any loss to the exchequer on account of a bureaucratic decision is reckoned a culpable offence, few officers dare to decide and instead, let matters be. There are no questions asked by high-ups why this is so.
All files are forwarded to the Law and Finance departments because most officers are chary of deciding for themselves and ending up on the wrong side of the Vigilance.
At the Revenue grassroots-level, five Collectors in Idukki, who served since 2011, have been hauled up for not acting against an illegal house construction near Cheruthoni. The FIR filed against the five IAS officers was announced by a Vigilance DySP in Thodupuzha. Now, to quash the FIR, the ex-Collectors would have to shell money from their pockets and employ advocates in the High Court.
Back to the Secretariat. The Chief Secretary, who presides over the Government crucial missions, is himself suspected of misdemeanour. Mr Abraham, who pilots the flagship Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, which is facilitating Rs 10,000 crore development projects, is suspected of concealing the plinth area of his modest apartment in Poojapura.
The much-trumpeted GAIL is moving at a snail’s pace owing to local objections. Entrepreneurship programmes, launched by the Government, are in doldrums.
Sums up former Vigilance director K J Joseph: “By installing a controversial officer to the most sensitive post that calls for maturity and credibility, the Government has messed its stated objective to clean up the mess left by the previous government. Any further delay in getting rid of the problem will further undermine Government’s credibility”.
