Resolving the bureaucratic row

CHANDIGARH, MAY 16: The unseemly row between UT Home Secretary Anuradha Gupta and Inspector General of Police Kiran Bedi has brought cert...

CHANDIGARH, MAY 16: The unseemly row between UT Home Secretary Anuradha Gupta and Inspector General of Police Kiran Bedi has brought certain crucial issues to the fore. Since the continuation of the spat is bound to affect governance, efforts should be made to resolve it at the earliest. Gupta, who has been in the city for nearly three years, can be credited with bringing to book certain engineers and middlemen, who were using the system for their personal aggrandisement.

Similarly, within weeks of her coming to the city, Bedi has introduced a people-friendly approach to policing. Problems like underage driving, traffic chaos outside schools and problems of parking, which appeared insurmountable, have all disappeared. Although full details are not available, the row is more than a clash of egos, as many believe it to be.

Since police are usually known to have little regard for rules, the intervention of the Home Department in some of the instances being mentioned appears justified. This includes the inquiry into attempts to falsely implicate some British nationals. However, from documents which have appeared in the press, it seems that somewhere down the line, the Home Department started overstepping its role.

The explanation offered by the former Adviser to the Administrator, Jagdish Sagar, in defence of the HS notwithstanding, it is apparent that in transferring or suspending policemen, including constables, directly, the fine line between supervision and impingement was obscured. Bedi is justified in protesting, though the manner in which she has done so is questionable. In such matters there is no ambiguity; while security and police forces function under overall civilian authority, their day to day command and control is exercised by their own officers in uniform. For example, it is they who would be hauled up should there be a case of collective insubordination in the force.

Since both sides are sticking to their guns, an inquiry into the matter appears to be the only answer. Moreover, this will also set at rest the issue for future. Kiran Bedi has demanded an inquiry by non-government management professionals, perhaps because she wants the functional aspect of a uniformed force to be fully understood. But since the inquiry would require interpretation of the existing rules and regulations, a legal luminary may be more suited for it.

This present controversy also highlights the inherent flaws in the cadre management of officers posted to UT. The unceremonious manner in which the previous Finance Secretary was posted out still rankles. Little, if any, thought is given to seniority or length of service of officers while posting them to Chandigarh.

For example, while an officer of the 1985 batch of the IAS was functioning as the Deputy Commissioner, another officer of the 1986 batch was posted as the Finance Secretary. Similarly, even though the IAS and IPS have their own seniority roster, there can8217;t be so much disparity in posting officers to posts like Home Secretary and IGP the present UT Home Secretary is of 1981 batch of the IAS, the IGP is of the 1972 batch of IPS.

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In police too, at least two officers recently posted here are much senior to the officer functioning as the city SSP, who in police hierarchy is next to the IGP. Since some of these officers are from Punjab and Haryana, the Union Home Ministry should prepare clear guidelines in consultation with the two states on officers to be posted on deputation in Chandigarh.