The Bombay High Court pulled up the Director of Mines and Geology and directed his conduct be probed over his failure to act against the illegal quarrying of laterite stones in Collem. The court declined to accept the explanation put forth by the Director that complaints were duly marked to the respective officers for necessary action. The court maintained that the Director cannot pass the buck and should have been responsible for pursuing action.
The High Court observations are crucial to the Collem quarrying issue and several other cases where high-ranking officials have absolved themselves by passing the buck to their juniors. The recent rotten tur dal case was another instance where the then minister holding charge of the civil supplies department attempted to feign ignorance while shifting the blame.
If we recall, the government recently called for tenders to dispose of 241 metric tonnes of tur dal, which are lying rotten and damaged in government warehouses. A preliminary inquiry held the Civil Supplies director Siddhivinayak Naik responsible and ordered his suspension without raising any questions on the then Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gaude.
Prima facie, the responsibility should rest on the minister holding charge of the portfolio, and any inquiry should begin there. It has emerged that the civil supplies director has been made a scapegoat and a sacrificial lamb to silence the political class that is crying hoarse in the background. Can a lone officer be responsible for the stocks of supplies in godowns and nobody else?
We live in a society where dozens stand up to take credit for small milestones and petty achievements, but when it comes to failures and controversies, passing the buck seems to be chosen way out. Why is the minister concerned not standing up to the tur dal controversy when documents have shown that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Govind Gaude were aware of the purchase and even approved it?
In the case of the Collem quarrying case, the High Court observed that forwarding the complaints to junior officers and not even bothering to find out whether these officers have taken any steps to prevent unauthorized quarrying does not reflect any severe action.
Meekly passing on the responsibility in issues of public concern has been a constant highlight. Instead of taking matters to their logical conclusion, those in the government have only been trying to divert attention to either an officer or some other issue. From flooding, rising crime cases, or a drop in the education level of the State, at every level, there have been conscious attempts to evade scrutiny, which is sad.
The High Court pulling up the Director of Mines and Geology and asking for a probe into his conduct regarding illegal quarrying is a wake-up call for all those trying to shirk responsibility. There is a ban on laterite stone quarrying and sand mining in Goa, but the State has a flourishing construction activity that is going full throttle irrespective of the season and restrictions. Do not be under the impression that nobody is watching.
