Had departments done their job well, people would have not been in mess
Shivang Satya Gupta
Jammu, April 7: Our state is witnessing an unprecedented weather condition where everything seems sinking with the people blaming nature for its furry but the reality is that the Mother Nature cannot be blamed for the suffering of the people and instead it seems nature has taken over to check the wrongs done by the people and sound warning bells.
If we don’t wake up now it might be too late for even if we fail to check the lapses of our departments the nature has its own ways to check the procedural lapses of man and might go to the any extent to bring balance as man can be corrupted but not the nature.
We have been taught since childhood the famous axiom ‘nip the evil in the bud’ but we are never told how to do it and when to do it and once the lust of money sets in, the axiom is conveniently forgotten to indulge in loot and plunder of nature resulting in the natural disasters currently being experienced in the state.
The current spell of nature should not be treated as a bad omen but a blessing in disguise and treated as a wakeup call to pull our socks and do some practical job on ground instead of waiting for the disaster to happen and start rescue operations.
A cursory look on the wrong doings or the procedural lapses by the departments like Rural Development Department (RDD), Roads and Buildings (R&B), Prime Ministers Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) indicates that had these departments done their job with sincerity people would not have been facing the mess they currently are in.
It is imperative that the new government which has taken over just recently must start a new chapter in political governance by making these departments work according to their prescribed job description with sincerity, efficiency, promptness and futuristic vision.
The road conditions, the landslides, and sinking hillocks & cities are wreaking havoc with the routine day to day life of the people and everyone seems to be blaming the nature while it is conveniently forgotten that it is basically the inefficiency of the officers and officials manning various developmental departments that has resulted in such chaos.
The lust for plum postings has severely compromised on efficiency of the departments as now-a-days plum postings mean where officers can mint money even though it should have been where an officer gets chance to work hard and make peoples life easier.
The administration which depends more on disaster management committees rather than prevention of disasters must understand that if alternate roads are built in advance, proper engineering skills are applied and advance planning is done, the state would not fall prey to sudden natural calamities and instead would be ready to continue the work without hindrance.
Disasters particularly natural disasters have been happening and would continue to happen but the real governance is when the visionary officers plan in advance accordingly and divert roads, or other developmental works through safer and secure areas to safe guard the public life and property.
Jammu and Kashmir being a sensitive state needs futuristic planning and fast execution but here it takes years to construct a bridge due to bureaucratic red tape but if there is strong political will same bridges and roads are built in months which proves that it is bureaucratic lethargy rather than Natural furry which puts the life of the people to risk.
A case in point is the projects approved in Soft Rock areas in Chenab valley which in the times to come will prove a serious risk for the people while the areas having hard rocks are ignored not due to engineering factors but due to political interference and vested interests.
It is therefore in the fitness of things that the new government which has taken several good steps must also initiate a work culture in the departments concerned with development and bring some respite to the people of the state. The Earth News will continue to keep a tab and bring out issues of public importance to the fore front and reveal the truth to the public.