The Hindu Business Line : On the right path to social regeneration

SOME weeks ago, a Uttar Pradesh district magistrate had figured in this column for his sociable act of adopting a child whom he had found crying on a railway station platform and beginning the process of giving the young, deprived citizen a fresh and fair start in life.

The charge can of course be levelled that the officer in question was, by his act, merely trying to attract the attention of society, the inference being that, in his heart of hearts, he was no different from other members of his tribe, a tribe which today cannot even claim to be a shadow of the ICS or the earlier IAS (till around the mid-1970s) in the matter of rectitude and conscientious service, not to speak of academic grit and excellence.

This may be so, but one would still like to believe that the UP DM in question is a bit different and that what he has done needs to be publicised if only to serve as a model for his juniors, specially that dwindling group which still harbours strong ideals but is having to work under great pressure from a social system which naturally strengthens the forces of corruption and maladministration.

Indeed, even though the odds against are very strong, there is enough reason not to lose hope totally because, as the newspapers tell us (the media here is doing a great job by publicising such events and measures no matter what certain politicians have to say on the subject), there are still some young officers around who need the support and encouragement of society in general for the good work they are doing in the districts.

In recent days, two instances have been reported from Bihar where DMs have opted to break with recent tradition, in the process establishing new milestones which their colleagues and their juniors would do well to emulate — in the interests of social regeneration which is indispensable for the well-being of the nation's future.

The first is the decision of the Gopalganj DM to have a 65-bed hospital opened by a sweeper instead of the usual political personage, the nail being driven home firmly with the invitation card having the name of the sweeper concerned printed on it.

Not surprisingly, the politicians of the region are up in arms, their principal grievance being that politicians should not have been left out from the function because the hospital was funded by resources made available by MPs and MLAs from the `development funds' at their disposal.

The officer in question has said that he opted for a sweeper "because it takes three years to get an appointment from a VIP" and that he had to act expeditiously because the old building "was in a dilapidated condition and would have collapsed soon".

The second instance is that of the Siwan DM issuing a public notice "urging people to inform the authorities the moment they spotted RJD MP and former Union Minister Mohammad Shahabuddin in the district", a step which appears to have worked because the latter failed to turn up at the inauguration of a railway function, his presence being advertised by the railways in media advertisements.

The MP had been externed by the district authorities for six months during the February Bihar Assembly elections, and the DM had directed the police chief to arrest him if he was seen in the district before the lapse of the order.

Needless to say, Bihar politicians are up in arms, their argument being that officials are `misusing' their powers `while dealing with public representatives'.

But, then, is the Patna High Court also `misusing' its powers when, last Wednesday, it ordered the State police authorities "to withdraw security cover to any person with criminal antecedents, whether they were politicians or people with political and official clout"?

Ranabir Ray Choudhury

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