Redtapism and bulky file syndrome are still in vogue in district Collectorate and block development offices of Rayagada district. E-governance has been made a mockery by the babus sitting in these offices.
Though all these offices have been equipped with computers with peripherals connected with broadband, file peeping dominates the office procedures. Fortunately, Rayagada has been a pioneer in being a district of paper-less office in the State.
But this is just a declaration for the amusement of the bureaucrats. The babus care a damn to open their related departmental website daily to get appraised by any new order, policy or act.
Though there are scores of examples, a few can be cited. On April 29, 2013, the then Panchayati Raj Commission-cum-Secretary Aparajita Sarangi wrote to all Collectors asking for an approximate estimate from each block to have provision of basic amenities like drinking water supply for public with not less than 8-10 taps on a row with proper tiled structure as done in railway station, separate gents and ladies toilets with running water, simple rest shed for the public and plantation within the campus, etc.
According to the order, the BDOs were supposed to carry out a gap assessment exercise and send the estimate by May 12, 2013 without fail. The letter was marked as most urgent. After retrieving the letter from the departmental website, when this correspondent went to the BDO office at Bissam Cuttack and discussed with the Head Clerk, he feigned his ignorance about any such letter from the district collectorate.
Next day the BDO also confirmed the statement of the Head Clerk. The letter from the State Secretariat also mentioned the Government’s commitment to make the block office as friendly as possible. The toilet was horrible without running water.
No separate toilet for ladies. No plantation in the premises either. On the other hand, the campus was full of unwanted shrubs and thorny bushes. Same is the case in the Rayagada block office in the Rayagada district headquarters. When the BDO was ignorant of an urgent order of his super boss, sending the gap assessment reports and estimate to higher authorities was certainly a far cry.
Similarly, on October 28, 2013, Women and Child Development department under Secretary Rashmita Panda wrote to the District Social Welfare Officer (DSWO) with copy marked to the district Collector and Additional DSWO about engaging eleven women interns, one each in eleven blocks of the district.
Work plan for these youth interns mentions their primary task in the field of PWDs (Persons with Disabilities) welfare. These interns will work under the direct supervision of the BDO and report to Social Education Officer (SEO).
These interns will identify PWDs who have not availed disability certificate and take necessary steps to issue such certificates, refer the case of multiple disabilities to ADSWO and district headquarters hospitals, identify PWDs who have not got pension and arrange pension for them, identify PWD children and admit them to normal schools or in case of severe disabilities in special schools, identify Government buildings which are not barrier free and report to the BDO for necessary action etc.
During our visit to the DSWO office, we were told that no such letter had ever come to them. When we shared the information with the interns, they were astonished of such an engagement letter. Two interns namely Namita Mahanandia and Tilottama Takri from Muniguda and Bissam Cuttack blocks respectively complained that they went to their concerned SEO, BDO for a clarification on their appointment.
“We received a negative answer. The DSWO also could not clarify about our engagement. After running from pillar to post, we represented our case before the district Collector on the grievance day. He also washed his hand off the issue saying that as no such letter had come to him. Now, we have filed a complaint before the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, WCD Department. If we do not get justice from anybody we will resort to other constitutional means,” said Namita.
Tilottama in a sobbing voice told this correspondent, “We are SC girls. Though we are happy about the youth policy of the Government which boasts about girls and socially excluded communities, but the local authorities are insensitive to the policy guidelines framed by their own Government. We are ostracised in a district from where the SC/ST Minister hails.”
“Orders passed by babus in Bhubaneswar are consciously not adhered to in the plea of ignorance. We, as PWDs, also do not know that Government is concerned with our issues at least in letters, orders and policies. Everything else ends up in a fiasco,” said Rakesh Chandra Himirika, a tribal blind person and convenor of Odisha Bikalanga Manch, Rayagada.
“The Collector himself violates the law of the land. The car bearing registration no-OR-18-9999 used by him belongs to a private owner and has a privatewhite board nameplate. The private vehicles hired by the Government authorities need to be commercially registered bearing yellow coloured nameplates. Similarly, a vehicle hired by the Health department bears a number with white nameplate. But who bothersIJ” lamented an advocate maintaining anonymity.