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The four Cs of governance
For any effective governance to become a reality it is necessary that there should be healthy co-ordination, communication, cohesion and co-operation between the different Government Departments. However judging by the functioning of the different Departments here, it may not be wrong at all to assume that these fundamental facts have blown over the heads of our officials and it is not an uncommon sight to see different Departments pursuing their policies and programs in complete 'isolation' and bereft of anything that resembles a common approach to discharge their duties in, sync with the others concerned.
The police case filed by an Executive Engineer of the PWD against the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited for unauthorized digging of a portion of road and improper filling up of the dug out portion at Ningthoukhong Kha Khunou is a classic example of one department turning a blind eye to the works executed by another department. The road of course was laid by the PWD and the road was of course dug out to lay underground cables.
Both works are obviously meant for the welfare of the people, but the absence of co-ordination between the two departments has seemingly defeated the very purposes of the works executed. Such C case is not an isolated one and not only will such cases hinder developmental works but are sure to throw the whole administrative process into total chaos and confusion not to speak of the huge loss in terms of revenue and time.
Given the total lack of co-ordination amongst the different Government Departments, it is therefore not surprising to see a freshly laid road being dug up by another department to lay, say, a water pipe or to install an electric post. It is also not an uncommon sight to see trees planted by one department cut down in no time by another department to widen the road. Not only is such a situation comical but says a lot of the near anarchic system prevalent here. So while we religiously observe Traffic Safety Week every year, there is just no such program to check indiscriminate issuance of driving licenses from the Transport Department.
All these instances show that a mechanism must be put in place to ensure that healthy and proper coordination between the different Government Departments is
maintained. All Heads of Departments need to chalk out a policy and program that the work of another department do not infringe upon the work executed by another department. A little application on this front, we are sure, will go along way in giving more teeth to the administrative set up of the Government.
For the Government to run like a well oiled machine, focus has to be shifted from the number game, to the functioning of the different departments which have different functions and responsibilities to perform. In essence the right hand the Government must know what its left hand is doing. To ensure this, initiative should be taken from the highest possible level.
Administrative bottleneck, red tapism and a blunt bureaucracy have all contributed their mite in throwing the functioning of all the Government Departments into total disarray and complete confusion. All in all the different Government Departments must realize that in discharging their duties and responsibilities it should not infringe upon the works executed by another department for in the ultimate analysis all departments are hereto serve the interest of the people.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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