Since the British regime in India and even after Independence, the Collectors were bound to submit fortnightly report to the State Government on administrative functions and performances of each department.
The reports used to be semi-confidential and were kept in the custody of the General Administration Department for future guidance. The reports are treated to be most important as they had a major impact on policy initiatives and corrective actions. They, in a sense, acted as the third eye of the Government.
The British Government had introduced the system to keep a watch over the corrupt staff and also if any Government employees were involved in revolutionary activities, who were secretly joining hands with the freedom fighters. The British administration was punishing those officials who were going against British rules and administrations. Such practices were going on even after independence for smooth, transparent and efficient administration of the district.
But at present the system is not strictly followed. This may have given a leeway to the Government employees to resort to corruption unabashedly and display high- handedness. Because of the unruly behaviour of some employees, the common people are suffering a lot.
Here the writer wants to cite an example of an incident. He was in charge of the Pithabata forest range, which is a headquarters range of Mayurbhanj district. Two elephant tusks weighing 36kg were seized from Jamsola unified check gate by the writer getting the information of the then forester in charge of the Jamsola section.
The accused was a non- Odia and a friend of very big shot in the district and State administration. There was an attempt to free the accused from the charges and absolve him of the offence, though it finally failed.
A senior police officer of a SP rank was interested to make the accused person free from charges and restrain the accused persons from prosecution, but every attempt of the group was foiled. So, they attempted to book the forester under bribery charges. A forceful attempt was made then to bribe the forester who detected the case. They were successful and a case was registered against the forester. Since he was honest, the court let him off.
The then Collector of Mayurbhanj reflected the incident in his fortnightly report to the Government. He wrote the border check gate was misused and smuggling was rampant. The smuggling items included all sorts of things including precious forest products and animal parts. On the basis of the report, the State Government took elaborate measures to stop such activities in the check gate and also all other check gates of the State borders.
The British Government was also having intelligence wings at the district level and collecting regular inputs. The district intelligence bureau worked quite effectively for the administration to check all sorts of illegalities, including crime. It also helped the administration to take pre-emptive actions on issue of serious nature.
Besides all these crime controlling forums, which have been continuing since the British era, there is a provision for a monthly meeting of police and magistrate to assess the law and order situation of the district.
In spite of such a massive administrative network in the district and in the State how the self-styled godman Sarathi Baba was spreading his empire was a matter of surprise. He managed to earn an enviable fortune by cheating the gullible people. He also exploited the women as he was a sexual pervert. His life style was lavish with all sorts of services rendered to him by the devotees in his splendid ashram where he amassed huge wealth and created assets worth several crores of rupees.
While over the past two decades the illegalities were going on, the district administration and police were sitting idle. Either the activities were going on under the very nose of the administration in nexus with several influential people in the administration and politics or the administration was not serious enough to take action against the fake Baba despite the fact that allegations were galore against him.
On the other hand, an attempt to make his ashram a tourist hub and recommendation for financial grants to the ashram for its development proves how the administration and leaders were patronizing the thug in the guise of a spiritual leader.
It is alleged that the local political representatives diverted lAD funds to the ashram worth crores of rupees. The Collectors have rights to guide the MlAs /MPs on spending of the lAD funds. But it seems they did not do it.
These days the whole police administration is attempting to be closer to the general public through interfaces, but the live telecast which displayed for more than a week in different TV channels on the police oppression against the anti-Sarathi protestors speaks volume about the fact that the police were still to get over their feudal mindset.
The then Kendrapada SP Gajbhiye who orchestrated such inhuman lathicharge against the common people was later alleged to have acquired huge acres of land in Gop through fraudulent means. It is amazing as to how a public servant could acquire the property and how the departmental authorities of police, revenue, district intelligence bureau including fishery department could not know it. As noticed the area in question is a wetland which is in the bank of a river. Where the backwater during flood is accumulated leading to recharge of the water table.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist. Tel no 9937460649)