By Ibankyntiew Mawrie
SHILLONG: Politicians declare their assets and liabilities at least once in five years and the same is easily available in the State Election Commission’s website for people’s knowledge, but there is no information on the declaration of assets of Meghalaya bureaucrats in the public domain in the State.
The Shillong Times spoke to a cross section of the society to get their views on the need by the rich bureaucrats to declare their assets and make it public.
Former Chief Secretary of Meghalaya, SK Tiwari, informed that it is a must for a bureaucrat to declare his/her assets every year and added that if an officer fails to do so, the government can take action against such erring bureaucrats.
“If a civil service officer fails to declare his/ her assets, then action should be taken by the government against that person as it is a clear violation of the code of discipline,” Tiwari said, even as he informed that every time a bureaucrat makes a major purchase, he/ she should inform the government of the same.
When asked whether such information are made public, the former Chief Secretary said that previously, information on the assets of the bureaucrats were confidential, however, with the new rules in place, the same is no longer considered confidential.
“Information of declaration of assets by the bureaucrats is easily available with the respective department that a civil servant is associated with and if the same is not provided, then members of the public have every right to raise a question,” Tiwari stated.
It may be recalled that in 2011, the Union Government had decided to post online the details of assets of the country’s top bureaucrats. It was decided that the annual property returns as on January 1, 2011, of All India Service and other Group-A central services officers will be placed in the public domain. Officers who do not submit their property returns in time would be denied vigilance clearance and will not be considered for promotion and empanelment to senior level posts in the government.
Taking a cue from the direction issued by the Union Government, Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma had, in 2011, said that assets of politicians and bureaucrats would be declared.
Whether the State bureaucrats declared their assets or not is unclear, as the same has not been updated in the State Personnel and Training department’s website.
In the Meghalaya Government website under the section of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, one of the duties of the public authority is mentioned as declaration of assets and liabilities of officers. However, the website did not post the assets and liabilities.
When contacted, Chief Election Officer of the Meghalaya State Election Commission, P Naik, said that the information on the declaration of assets filed by the top bureaucrats is available online in the website of the Ministry of Personnel and Training, Government of India.
However, there are MCS officers in the State whose assets and liabilities cannot be put in the Union Government’s website.
When asked whether the same is available in the State Personnel and Training department’s website, Naik said “I am not sure.”
Additional Chief Secretary PBO Warjri agreed on the statement made by Tiwari stating that once a year, every bureaucrat has to declare his/ her immovable assets even as he seconded Tiwari’s statement about the bureaucrat’s responsibility to inform the government every time they make a major purchase.
When asked whether the same is made public or not, Warjri expressed ignorance on the matter and said, “We have nothing to hide and if our assets are made public then it would be made available in the website or other public domain.”
To a question on where was the information on assets posted for public knowledge, Warjri said, “I don’t know.” He also expressed his ignorance to a question on whether action will be taken if the officers do not declare their assets.
RTI activist Angela Rangad, on the other hand, stated that no matter what the rules say, the ground reality is that the information is not easily available even if it is sought out from the respective department.
“If it is so that their assets are made public, then they should be really made public by putting it on the website like they do for the politicians’ assets and not make people run from pillar to post just to get the information,” Rangad said.
Stating that she have never seen any Meghalaya bureaucrat declaring their assets in black and white, Rangad said, “If the rules state that the information is made public, then why are we not given access to it despite our efforts to get the information.”
On the statements made by Tiwari and Warjri on the declaration of assets by bureaucrats once a year, the social activist said, “I doubt if they (bureaucrats) declare their assets every year.”
It may be reminded that in the list of demands put forth by the anti-graft bodies before the government to bring a strong and effective Lokayukta in Meghalaya, one of the demands is that the assets declared by bureaucrats should be made public.
Maitshaphrang convener, Michael Syiem said that though the information regarding the assets is declared by the bureaucrats and posted in the website, he expressed doubt over the genuineness of the assets declared by them considering that they do not pay income tax.