Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, July 1
With the June 30 deadline for transfers and postings in different departments coming to an end, ministers and ruling party MLAs are alleging large-scale corruption in these transfers.
The seriousness of the issue could be gauged by the fact that one minister submitted his papers to the chief minister, while a senior BJP legislator claimed that 80 per cent of the ministers took bribes in issuing transfer orders.
Social Welfare Minister Madan Sahani, who is from JFU quota, said he had put in his papers as he was not able to tolerate further humiliation in the department. He alleged the bureaucrats were running the government and not the ministers.
Sahani, who comes from an extremely backward community said the principal secretary and secretary of the department were in the same position for over four years. They did not listen to him, he regretted. He claimed the Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar was told about the action of the officers but he did not act.
Sahani said, “Having a ministerial bungalow, fleet of vehicles and staff is not enough for me. When I cannot deliver to the poor people, there is no justification for me to continue in the office.”
He admitted he was resigning in protest against the action of the corrupt bureaucrats who accepted bribes in issuing transfer and posting orders of the officers.
Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo, a senior BJP MLA, in a separate statement alleged large-scale transfers and postings of officers on Wednesday evening were marked with corruption. According to the ruling party legislator,80 per cent of the ministers from BJP quota took bribes while issuing bulk transfer orders. The officer who could not satisfy the minister was denied transfer and posting to the place of his choice.
He claimed the bribe rate was higher in the departments with high budgets. Posts were auctioned in certain departments, he alleged and said the senior bureaucrats helped the ministers in corruption in transfers and postings.
On Wednesday evening, orders related to transfers and postings in rural development, rural engineering, health, education, prison, police, excise departments were issued and continued till Thursday morning. In some departments, ministers overruled their departmental secretaries and in some departments, officers close to the chief minister overruled the recommendations of their ministers.
