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Unpopular Government These days the President’s Rule administration is no doubt becoming very unpopular amongst the general populace. This can be gauged from the statements issued daily to the local newspapers slamming the Governor Ved Marwah for his alleged inaction with regard to choking of supply of essential commodities due to the indefinite economic blockade called by a Naga Organization along National Highway 39. Unavailability of fuel, not to talk of essential items like food grains has thrown the normal life of the people both in the valley and the hill completely out of gear. For instance, passenger transportation has been suspended in protest against the Government’s alleged failure to make it available in the open market. This has completely cut off road communication between the districts and the State Capital. There are reports of scarcity of food grains in interior areas of the hills and remote villages of the valley. Of course, the Government is sending security escorts to fetch the stranded trucks. But the transporters have complained that the security arrangement is not adequate. While the security escorts need to be enhanced, public leader level talks between parties are called for in finding a solution. On the other hand, the efforts by the government to downsize the “Government Departments” by abolishing posts “deserved” to be chopped after the retirement of the present incumbent is laudable. We hope that all posts not required for administrative purposes should be put on the chopping block and vested interests should not be allowed to interfere into such a rightsizing move. Meanwhile self-employment schemes for the jobless should be formulated. It is an accepted fact that the strength of the Government staff is alarmingly large; as a result all the state funds ends up being spent on maintaining and running the Departments with little money left for developmental purposes. There should be indeed an appointment policy. Recruitment to serve interest of new
Ministers or new Directors should be put to a complete stop if the State has to
crawl out of this complete financial mess. The criteria for fixing the amount of
money to be spent on a given Department should be the productivity. For long, we
have been spending free with little or no return. This is an issue the
Government, the present one or the next popular Ministry should pay a very
serious attention. But unfortunately, sometimes the Government has been indulging in activities unbecoming of a Government. The abortive attempt by a group of legislators to make a “goodwill mission” to Senapati is a case in point. The reason given by the administration for cancellation of the program supposedly sponsored by the Government is unavailability of fuel for the security escorts. We do not believe that this should be the reason. Nevertheless mishandling of the matter is unfortunate. Another example is the controversy created by the Government itself over the issue of shifting of the 1st Manipur Rifles. Had the Government clarified that the 7th Manipur Rifles would move in once the 1st MR has been shifted in clear terms than a controversy would not have come up. And strangely the Government brought in “Officers of all MR Battalions” to make a clarification on it, instead of doing it by the DGP/ Police Department itself to make it official. (Courtesy: The Sangai Express) Back to Top FrontPage Manipur Profiles Features Potpourri Opinions Editorials Books Photos Links Archives Contact Policy/Disclaimer |
