The ‘ATM’, department where everyone gains, but at what cost?
What should have been a thankless job – building and maintaining infrastructure – is today the most coveted of portfolios in the State. The Public Works Department (PWD) is the one portfolio that ministers haggle over at the time of government formation, simply because of its high budget and large projects undertaken that allow politicians the opportunity to indulge in corrupt practices.
Sources say that though there are procedures to be followed and they appear fool proof, the department has seen a large number of corruption cases simply because rules are constantly being flouted. Sources say that though politicians interfere in the department, the bureaucracy, that should be responsible to ensure that rules are followed and quality control is maintained, has shown itself to be spineless and subservient to the political class.
“That is also because everyone makes money from the system. Assistant engineers, executive engineers and the contractors. The PWD should actually be renamed the ATM department”, said a serving engineer.
Top officials in the PWD admit that there is political pressure to manipulate tenders and ensure that certain contractors are favoured, but they also point out that it is an individual engineer’s or bureaucrat’s decision to bend to the politician.
Work orders can be manipulated, say sources. Sometimes contractors are fixed at other times tenders are fixed. The money is big, so is the temptation.
Sources say that cash, large amounts, are an incentive and all parties – politician and government employees – are kept satisfied. But when allegations of corruption are made the politicians get away, and it is the government officer who faces the music as it is his signature that is on the document.
PWD insiders say that calls come from politicians and the offers are lucrative but laced with an unspoken threat. Besides the cash or kind reward, there is also the pressure to do the politician’s bidding in return for a plum posting. Officers and engineers who fail to listen to politicians are often transferred, sources say.
In most cases while politicians involved get away for lack of evidence, in one case a PWD engineer P T Parker who had evidence of a politician’s complicity was able to avoid action against himself by claiming he could take others down with him. Instead of a probe leading to punishment, he got away with ‘voluntary retirement” which was offered to him by his political bosses.
Insiders say that most of the corruption is at the executive engineer’s level and very little reaches the top layers as politicians find it easier to manipulate the lower levels for whom the salary is never enough.
The corruption is so spread out that, sources say, today even the tendering process for works at the municipal and panchayat levels is via alternative routes.
Media reports have highlighted some of the ‘scams’ in the PWD and various individuals have been and some still are under investigation. Yet, PWD does chug along and development works do get done.
