Opinion Mr Clean,act

Prithviraj is upright,but unlike others who have had long stints heading the state,he is not really a grassroots politician. He did not cut his teeth in cooperatives like Sharad Pawar or climb the political ladder as a sarpanch like Vilasrao Deshmukh. His writ could still have ruled,had Maharashtra been a single-party governed state. But coalitions — a reality in the state since 1995 — require a shrewd manager with political acumen and coordination skills,if not overpowering stature. Prithviraj,unfortunately,has neither. But he wears honesty and integrity on his sleeve,qualities few politicians in the state possess.

In the last 23 months,his actions,or rather inaction,on various fronts has been attributed to the imperative to address the gradual erosion of public confidence in the government and politicians. The irregularities in the Adarsh Housing Society affair may have compromised his predecessor Ashok Chavan. In fact,the latter’s act of allegedly managing three flats for members of his family in the south Mumbai apartment complex appeared to exemplify the degradation that has permeated public life. So a clean-up was inevitable. The irregularities in the irrigation projects,talked about since 2009,have now consumed the NCP’s star leader Ajit Pawar,even if it is only till the state publishes a white paper. PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal (NCP),Water Resources Minister Sunil Tatkare (NCP),Transport Minister Gulabrao Deokar (Congress) and Education Minister Rajendra Darda (Congress),who have been embroiled in scams,do not inspire confidence and would do better to pave the way for a more sanitised administration.

The clean-up act,which saw little file movement in the last two years,has inflicted considerable damage on general governance in the state. Even diehard optimists in Maharashtra have shut their eyes to the good things happening around them. The internecine war within both the Congress and the NCP as well as the struggle between the two,corruption in the award of contracts by the alliance government,and Prithviraj’s method of tackling this by holding on to files have all but killed people’s expectations. Nothing else can explain the fact that two otherwise remarkable events — the prospect of the state becoming power surplus and the city getting a road project that will decongest its main arterial road — have failed to fire the citizens’ imaginations.

Let me quickly elaborate on the two bits of good news that should normally have been head-turners. The first one: with a private player committing 1,200 megawatts from its Amravati project to the state by December,load shedding will be a thing of the past in most parts of Maharashtra. Another 3,500 MW project entirely dedicated to the state is expected to start generation in another six months. This will make the state power surplus,and it will be ready to export power in the next financial year. This is no mean achievement. Otherwise progressive states,such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,have a long way to go before they become self-sufficient in power. Uninterrupted electricity is a big draw for investors,and the state,which had slipped in the pecking order,may again stake claim.

The other project that is hugely significant for Mumbai,but has not quite caught public attention,is the eastern freeway — an almost 16-kilometre stretch comprising elevated roads and tunnels — that will connect south Mumbai to the eastern suburbs. The economic impact of the freeway,to be operational by March next year,will be enormous. It will decongest city traffic significantly by opening an altogether new link.

Under normal circumstances,these two projects would have been reason enough for celebration. But circumstances have been far from normal. Prithviraj has his task cut out. Not only must he rejuvenate the state Congress,he also has to infuse trust and fresh energy into the Democratic Front alliance. Most importantly,he has to show hope to the city and the state’s citizens. The one-time clean-up act,according to people who have a long-term stake in the city’s growth,was definitely required. It is almost done now for the state,and definitely for the city.

The chief minister now needs to move on to focus on urban development and creating new employment opportunities. To unblock file work,he should decentralise power,which seems to be concentrated in the Mantralaya. For instance,if you want to organise a charity show,the district collector should be able to take the decision. Similarly,a local labour inspector should have the power to let shops and establishments remain open beyond 10 pm. Ministers have kept almost all powers in their own hands; this has led to the delays and introduced middlemen. They seldom hold meetings on important projects,busy as they are with transfers and postings,award of contracts and grant of licences.

Why should the home minister handle the transfer of a police constable,or even that of IPS officers,when there are well-established mechanisms? But R.R. Patil takes transfers and postings seriously. Ministers are losing the moral authority to put in place a clean administration because they are increasingly interested in individual cases rather than in reforming systems and procedures. Naturally,then,inefficiency has seeped into the bureaucracy and is gnawing at the very roots of the administration.

Prithviraj has to work with the NCP — that may not change till 2014 — and make the alliance work. He’d be well advised to get them on board. People have waited for two years for his clean-up act,but their patience will wear out if he doesn’t deliver now. He can’t push decisions,however difficult they may be,under the carpet by citing the possibility of graft. For the city,to begin with,he should get down to the brass tacks of implementing the western freeway that will complete the garland around the island city,providing connectivity from south Mumbai to the western suburbs.

The writer is editor,Mumbai

pv.iyer@expressindia.com