Lobbying stalls statutory appointments

In its 100 days in office,the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government has failed to make appointments to various board and corporations,and even statutory commissions,because of indecision in the face of lobbying by claimants and their powerful patrons in the party.

In its 100 days in office,the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government has failed to make appointments to various board and corporations,and even statutory commissions,because of indecision in the face of lobbying by claimants and their powerful patrons in the party. The result being that these bodies remain headless.

There are nearly 250 corporations,boards and commissions which require chairmen and vice-chairmen,who are political appointees. Most posts are vacant as the appointees of the previous government resigned after the SP government assumed office on March 15. Hundreds of applications by SP workers and leaders have been submitted at the SP office.

Ministers and senior party leaders are pushing names of their supporters because the posts carry ministerial status,along with the usual perks,like red-beaconed cars and official accommodation. Besides,these posts carry certain powers that can be used to distribute patronage to favourites and political supporters.

Among the posts for which several men are reportedly jockeying are those of chairmen of PACCFED and Samaj Kalyan Nirman Nigam,which are major construction agencies with a turnover running into hundreds of crores,besides the UP Forest Corporation,the State Warehousing Corporation,the seeds corporation,the agro-industries corporation and the Horticulture and Food Processing Board.

The case of statutory commissions is different because their chairmen have an active role in the day-to-day running of these organisations and take important decisions. In the absence of chairmen,work of statutory commissions like the State SC/ST Commission,the State Backward Classes Commission,the State Minorities Commission,and the State Womens Commission has come to a halt.

The State SC/ST Commission has been headless since last chairman Ram Charan Tyagi resigned on March 12. The Backward Classes Commission chairman Paras Nath Maurya resigned on March 16,the State Minorities Commission chairman Liyaqat Ali resigned on March 14,while Abha Agnihotri,chairperson of State Women Commission,resigned on March 14.

Officials recalls that the previous BSP government,headed by Mayawati,had made most such appointments within a month of taking power in May 2007. Where there was a delay,it was because of some legal problem or the government made certain changes in the structure of the commission.

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Among the few cases where the SP government has acted is the appointment of Waseem Ahmed Khan as Chairman of the UP Pollution Control Board under pressure from Delhis Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari. Similarly,Khadi and Village Industries Minister Raja Ram Pandey got his aide Natwarlal Goyal appointed Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Board. Some post are held by ministers. For example,Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has taken up as Chairman of the Mandi Parishad,his uncle and PWD Minister Shivpal Yadav is Chairman of the UP State Bridge Corporation while Urban Development Minister Azam Khan is Chairman of the Jal Nigam. Khan had constituted the State Haj Committee with himself as chairman and had inducted an expelled SP leader Khawaja Haleem in the committee. A red-faced party leadership later had to re-induct Haleem in the party.

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