Up Bureaucrats Elect The Most Corrupt Officers Among Themselves

Indian Administrative Service officials of the Uttar Pradesh cadre have picked for the second year through a system of secret ballot the most corrupt officers among them.

Topping the list are some of the seniormost and well known officers of the state, sources say.

Although the counting was completed on Sunday (after a delay of one day because the ballot boxes failed to arrive in time at the Civil Services Institute), the results are yet to be declared by returning officer Roshan Lal, himself a retired IAS officer. A resolution passed last year at the AGM of the state IAS officers body had stated that if no officer gets more then 100 votes as the most corrupt, then his name is not to be disclosed.

 

Neither last year nor this year has anyone polled more than 100 votes. Therefore, the names have been sealed and will be opened only at the forthcoming AGM of the association scheduled to be held after the Lok Sabha elections.

However, it is learnt that the 147 IAS officers who chose to caste their votes, as against 133 who had done last year, have once again preferred last year toppers-AP Singh, Neera Yadav and Brijendra.

While AP Singh retains the top slot, Babu Ram, principal secretary, industry, in the Mayawati administration, has come a close second. Other toppers include the current chief secretary RS Mathur, PL Punia, Ravi Mathur and Pradeep Shukla, current district magistrate of Lucknow. Except Shukla, all others are of the rank of principal secretary and are the senior most IAS officers of the state.

The elections this year, did not evoke the kind of publicity and interest it had generated last year. Probably because no action was taken against the three elected most corrupt officers on the basis of the poll. Action, when taken against some of them, were due to other reasons.

Chief Minister Kalyan Singh had reportedly stated in a conference in Nainital that no action could be taken against the officers without proof.

However, the polls has made known to the people what the IAS officers think of their seniors. It has also triggered off a public outcry thereby preventing officers from acting against the interest of the state and in their personal interest.

It remains to be seen whether the state government sleeps over it or takes against the corrupt officials.

If Kalyan Singh decides to ignore the elections, it might result in a cooling of his relations with the IAS association.

For the second year IAS officials in the state pick out the most corrupt among them through a system of secret ballot.