CVC and CVO Work To Save Corrupt Officials

18 DEC, 2012, 04.00AM IST, AMAN SHARMA,ET BUREAU 

Government departments exonerate officials against whom CVC asked for action

NEW DELHI: The annual report of Central Vigilance Commission for 2011 shows the number of government officials penalised for corruption on CVC's advice went down to 2,312, the lowest in the last decade. The report, made public on Monday, shows this was 22.5 per cent less than 2010, when 2,982 officials were penalised on CVC's advice. 

CVC had tendered its advice to the government against 5,341 officials last year, but action was taken only against 43 per cent officials, with the government keeping the decision pending for over six months in 2,207 cases. The CVC report said it was concerned over such delays. "Any delay in implementation of CVC's advice which is tendered after due consideration of all facts before it, reflects poorly on the state of vigilance administration of the organisation concerned," the report said. 

The Central Board of Excise and Customs has been listed as the department sitting over 333 cases, the most number, in which CVC wants action against allegedly corrupt officials, followed by the Ministry of Railways, with 191 pending cases and Central Board of Direct Taxes, with 144 such cases. Among 2,312 penalised officials, Ministry of Railways accounts for the highest number, 772 officials. 

The report says seven IAS, two IPS, an IFS and 12 IRS officers faced criminal trials on CVC's advice last year, while 76 officers including a vice-president of Indian Tourism Development Corporation were dismissed from service. But nearly 1,400 officials out of the 2,312 penalised received minor punishments like a cut in increment, cut in pension or a written censure. 

The report has slammed the 'selective approach' on part of certain government organizations, which in some cases did not comply with its advice and actually exonerated officials against whom CVC recommended action. "Unwillingness on the part of a organisation to accept the commission's advice against some officers also constitutes cases of selective approach...such failure of unwillingness would prima facie seem to be an attempt to favour/disfavour certain officers and reflect adversely on the credibility, objectivity and impartiality of vigilance administrations," the report said, listing 18 specific instances where CVC's advice was disregarded. 

CVC recommended major penalty proceedings against an executive director of National Thermal Power Corporation for giving benefit to a private party of 7.83 crore, by awarding it a contract worth 118 crore on nomination basis rather than a tender. The CVC pointed to the approval of the then Minister of Power for ultimate exoneration of the said senior officer against CVC's advice. 

"NTPC Board did not implement the CVC advice and exonerated the ED. The matter was brought to the notice of Secretary, Power. On July 18, 2011, it was intimated that the matter has been seen by the Hon'ble Minister of Power and the ministry has agreed with the action taken by NTPC Board. The executive director has been exonerated by the disciplinary authority in a matter of serious irregularity," the CVC report said. 


Another such case cited is of CVC recommending a major penalty to be imposed on two senior officials of Bharat Coking Coal for causing a loss of 6 crore by not raising the coal price, "deliberately at the behest of the coal mafia." 

The appellate authority in the organisation, however, exonerated one of the senior officials. CVC also recommended major penalty proceedings against two officials of Hindustan Organic Chemical for giving contracts worth 6.5 crore to a single and unapproved vendor without tendering for purchasing methanol. 

"In disagreement with advice of CVC, the department exonerated the board level officials and closed the case," the report said. Corruption is a scourge and an enemy of good governance, the report said and added, "delay in processing vigilance cases continues to be a major issue...it has been observed that the organisations continue to be indifferent and apathetic."

MY Views:  

In a country of  population of 120 crores where 99 percent of work is possible only after paying bribe, gifts, commission , dadagiri tax,kickbacks,etc and where thousands of cases of corruption are coming into light and where CAG has pointed out how lac of crores of rupees are lost on account of malicious intention of government officials and powerful ministers and where corruption is the key of success in every walk of life, Chief  Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) could not punish even one thousand person in a year.

Why?

Because, CVC usually works in nexus with corrupt ministers and corrupt officials who are in power. The moment any story of corrupt minister or corrupt officials is exposed by whistle blower or media men or aggrieved person or vigilant common men , entire machinery become busy in making  effort in the direction which may result in either closure of file or postponing decision on the issue for years and decades on flimsy ground. Entire system will leave no stone unturned to remove witnesses and eliminate documentary evidences from file so that case of corruption does not survive the test of crossing hearing or ordeal in Indian judiciary. Basic reason is that government appoints such a person as CVC who himself is corrupt and who can save corrupt politicians and officials as per whims of ruling government.

Not only this , even Chief Vigilance Officers (CVO) appointed in all public sector undertakings as per dictates of CVC are also those persons who are clever in safeguarding corrupt officials. CVOs are normally number one flatterer of CEOs pf the organization. Most of PSUs and banks assign the duty of CVO to those senior officers who are master in corruption , who can be motivated by power of money or power of transfer and who is master in closing the files fo corrupt officials of that office or organization . This is why action is seldom taken against a person despite several complaining of corruption lodged against such corrupt officials. Rather those who lodge complain in the office of CVO or CVC are tortured by transferring him to most critical place. Lacs of cases of corruption are closed after taken bribe by CVO itself.

Persons who lodges complains in the office of CVC or CVO meets the same fate as Mr. Khemka like person meet after giving adverse report against Mr. Vadra. This is why most of peace loving person think it better to bear with corruption than to make any complain. This happens in the say way as people avoid lodging FIR in Indian police station. People of India know very well that if they approach police station for getting justice, they will be tortured by police officials life long and the actual guilty persons will never be punished .People of India know very well that even CBI acts as puppet of ruling party and punished only those politicians and those officials who are enemy of ruling class. People of India know very well that all offices and department invite feedback and complains from common men but they never act on such complains even if someone dare making any complain for getting justice. 

Indians has therefore learnt how to live with reign of injustice and how to bear with torturous treatment in the hands of gang of corrupt officials and corrupt politicians for the sake of peaceful living. They understand very well that Indian judiciary also more often than not fails to award justice to aggrieved person  without inordinate delay for years and decades.