Ensure accountability, officials told

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 15. The State Government has decided to focus attention on the accountability of the Executive.

The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, said here today that the Government was ready to bring in amendments to the Karnataka Civil Service Rules (Section 185) to ensure accountability of officials.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of the conference of secretaries to the Government, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and the chief executive officers of zilla panchayats. This was the second such meeting called by the present Government.

In the view of the Chief Minister, if the elected representatives could be held accountable by the people, who would defeat them in the elections in the event of their failure, similar should be the case with bureaucrats. The Executive should be answerable to the Government. When non-performance was evident, officials had to be held responsible. ``I would like a public debate on this subject. The civil servants could also offer their suggestions and, if need be, even confidentially to the Chief Secretary,'' he said.

Mr. Krishna warned the deputy commissioners and the chief executive officers of the zilla panchayats that they would be held responsible if there were complaints of short supply in drinking water in their jurisdiction. Referring to the complaints pertaining to the poor condition of roads in the State, the Chief Minister said the Government would implement a massive plan of repairing the State highways and rural roads soon after Sankranthi.

The tenders for the Rs. 450-crore scheme were being finalised. The World Bank loan for road improvement works was also in the final stages of consideration, he said.

On the scheme to provide houses to the poor (Ashraya scheme), he said the implementation of the programme in the current year had been delayed since the committees headed by the local legislators were yet to submit the list of beneficiaries. The Ashraya committees had been directed to submit the list latest by December 25 failing which the deputy commissioners could finalise the beneficiaries.

On the irrigation front, he said, the Centre had approved the second phase of the Upper Krishna Project. The Union Government had also approved Rs. 800 crores to the State under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme.

Mr.Krishna said the bonded labour case reported at Hangarahalli in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya District, and the burning of dalits at Kambalapalli in Kolar District had sullied the image of the Government. If timely action had been taken, such incidents would not have occurred.

Mr. Krishna lauded the services of the Chief Secretary, Mr. B.K.Bhattacharya, who is scheduled to retire on December 31. ``He is a great civil servant and has enhanced the image of the Karnataka Civil Service in the country. I and my Council of Ministers would like to place on record our appreciation. He has played a major role in the World Bank giving an important status to the State.''

The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, said some of the programmes announced in the Budget were yet to be implemented owing to various reasons including lack of coordination between the secretaries to the government and the deputy commissioners.

The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Mr. M. Y. Ghorpade, said the speedy implementation of a large number of water supply schemes had been defeated owing to the delay in their energisation by the KPTCL.

Mr. Bhattacharya said the two-day conference would discuss subjects such as slump in the prices of agricultural commodities and market intervention schemes, review the functioning of the Rural Development, Urban Development, Housing and Social Welfare departments apart from the overall law and order situation in the State.

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Section  : Southern States
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