The faulty list had made it impossible for the government officials to get promotions. The Bombay High Court at Goa had also directed the State government to do the same earlier which was challenged by the State government in Supreme Court. Now, since the case has gone against the Government, let’s hope for the government to take the political interference in an administration seriously. The chartered officers have a list according to which they are granted promotions.
At one stage, they get the opportunity to enter the Indian Administrative Services. At least two officers receive such an opportunity every year. It’s only after the Court was moved to inquire why such opportunities weren’t given in last few years, did the aforementioned incident come to light. The seniority list was changed to favour some of the officers which prompted two Goa Civil Service Junior Scale Officers to move the Court and prayed to quash and set aside the seniority list as it was not in accordance with the prescribed rules.
The Home Ministry in fact had set aside the list and asked the State government to redraw the seniority list as per the date of officials joining as junior officers and then use it for the recommendation into civil services. Now the matter has reached the Supreme Court. Into his 16-17 years as Prime Minister, late Jawaharlal Nehru was once asked by a foreign journalist what would he consider as his biggest failure? After taking a moment to think, Nehru responded saying not being able to change the country’s administrative system was his biggest failure. We see on State level many ministers and chief minister making announcements which are never implemented and that turns them into a laughing stock. Whether a minister or chief minister or the ruling party changes, we do not see any change in the way administration works because the entire administrative system itself has come to a breaking point. What is more serious is that there is no political will to change the situation either. The officials’ mentality seems to be of that they just want to get the work done for namesake. The government once in a while makes announcements regarding improving the administration which stays just on paper. And since people have already come to expect the inaction over these announcements, they don’t take the politicians’ words seriously either. NGOs approach the Courts who give an earful to the government and then government keeps cribbing in the name of the NGOs.
However, the government never ponders over why people and the NGOs do not trust the administration in the first place. Rulers straightaway accuse the organisations of blocking the development in order to shift the blame and shrug off their responsibilities. A dangerous narrative that anything could be digested if the government has a majority strength in the House or getting elected means the person is well-knowledgeable is taking root. The Mumbai High Court’s Goa bench in an order stated that plans be drafted at village, town and district levels. And people saw it coming that the government will be appointing district planning committees just for the namesake. As per the constitutional provision, zilla panchayats were brought into existence but were limited to just approving the development proposals without granting them any major rights. A selfish political intention that if the local administrative bodies get stronger then the MLAs and the State governments won’t be left with any importance in the smaller states is a driving force behind this. In retrospect, since the sixty years of Goa’s liberation, from village panchayats till Ministry, the scene is disappointing at all the levels. Lack of planning, discipline and commitment has contributed to the administration’s failure in delivering. Regardless of how beneficial the schemes that the government is planning for the people, the lack of implementation is concerning.
