When a certain chief secretary of this state retired some years ago, the government of the day considered giving him an extension. That might have been due to the comfort level that the incumbent had with the then chief minister. But public outrage scuttled the Government’s intentions then. Now the story is repeated when a chief engineer of the Sports Council of Meghalaya, an important body for creating sports infrastructure in the state was given a two year extension. The matter did not come up for discussion before the cabinet. This makes the decision of the Sports Minister arbitrary and illegal. The same Minister who also holds the Law portfolio also reinstated a senior lawyer who held the post of Advocate General when a case of alleged land grabbing is still pending against him in a court of law. The lawyer had earlier been divested of his job after a case was filed against him. These are unhealthy developments which sow the seeds of nepotism. If government can break the law then how can it also be a law enforcer?
The reasons why people who have reached the age of superannuation are re-employed are plenty, but super efficiency is the least of such reasons. Normally when there is connivance between the minister and the officer on lucrative projects, the fear is that the next incumbent might not be as pliant as the previous one and that he/she might even become a spoke in the wheels. The second reason is that most ministers develop a comfort level with certain officers. But, if there is no ulterior motive the minister will not go out of the way to extend the tenure of the officer. The third and most important reason is that lucrative departments involving construction work are treated as departments for extending political patronage. It is easy to have a pliable chief engineer who will give out all contract and supply work to people close to the minister and to party acolytes, who will then spend substantial sums during the minister’s election campaign to ensure he is re-elected and continues to dole out favours. This vicious cycle is what has turned even the Sports and Youth Affairs Department into a non-starter with projects stalled beyond their deadlines. Can the people of Meghalaya sit by and watch this cancer devouring the state and all its institutions?