EMN
Dimapur, July 20
The stench of corruption across Nagaland, and among government officials and state machineries continues to rile the lives of the common public to the extent that politicians even claim funds as so-called “VIP quota” from developmental schemes meant for citizens.
Likewise, the disease of business cartels and syndicates has added to the economic woes of citizens; decades of unchecked, deepening corruption in Nagaland has affected the economy and arrested development, a recent public meeting in Tuensang has iterated.The eternal question of corruption by Nagaland government entities, unethical and illegal business practices by business establishments and the arrested development in the state were the main concerns that public leaders raised during a public meeting in Tuensang on July 10.
Public leaders and citizens of the town had converged in the CKS conference hall in the town to deliberate of the stated issues. Leaders and members of various civic organizations of Tuensang district, including tribal, ‘Gaon Bura’, women and youth, students’ and church organizations attended the public discussions.
The chief points of concerns comprised illegal business practices by business establishments such as
• ‘Syndication’ system, also so-called “agency system” (basically an unchecked and illegal monopoly)
• unregulated prices of services and essential commodities
• The years of worsening condition of roads, public amenities and public infrastructure
• Illegal and criminal activities by ‘VIPs’ who filch funds from developmental programs such as the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS)
Business Mafia
During the meeting in Tuensang, the community discussed the so-called ‘agency system’ (generally an illegal and self-governing mechanism that regulates demand and supply, and arbitrates prices often without knowledge of lawful authorities). This syndicate system is simply a monopoly of by individual over individual consumer items and essential commodities.
The citizens of the town agree that the illegal system was creating artificial inflation in the market and creating illegal prices. This system has to be stopped by the district administration of Tuensang, the citizens agreed during the meeting.
Convener of the Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation’s (ACAUT) legal cell, advocate Kezhokhoto Savi was also a speaker during the public meeting.
The advocate highlighted the activities of the popular anti-corruption movement led by the ACAUT in the state. Its movement includes fighting against ‘backdoor’ appointments in the Nagaland government departments.
From sky-high Photostat to expensive Happydents chewing gum
On to essentials and the unregulated market, Savi gave an instance of the exorbitant charges services exact from citizens. Photostat services can range anywhere from Rs.8 to Rs.40 per copy in Tuesang town and Noklak. The price of a popular, small sweet ‘Happy Dent’ is almost double, he reminded the citizens.
“The prices of essential commodities such as tomato, potato, egg, etc are selling at exorbitant rate which is higher than the rate of nearby or even Noklak and here the root cause is the system of holding ‘agency system’ which is simply the existing of business syndicate system and monopoly of individual items of essential commodities which creates artificial inflation,” the advocate said.
During the meeting, even a local church leader, a pastor strongly, stated in the midst of the gathering that the exorbitant charges on essential commodities in Tuensang town was solely due to the existence of the illegal agencies. This is a system of monopoly and has to be stopped, the unidentified church leader said.
During the meeting the speakers urged the district administration of Tuensang to check these illegal groups and stop the menace to alleviate the sufferings of the consumers in the district.
Also, while stressing on the subject of sanitation he referred to the goals of the nationwide sanitation campaign, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Advocate Savi pointed out that the present dumping site of the town’s council was ‘totally’ against environmental laws. The site is creating “huge pollution” and the waste, which including pharmaceutical waste, are being dumped into the local river when citizens depend on it for drinking and other use.
Poor roads, bad roads and shameful roads
The prolonged subject of Nagaland’s shameful roads was another point of discussions among the public leaders. Simply put:
“The road condition is so bad which is amounting to human rights violation as vehicle finds difficult to ply and pedestrian cannot walk or pass through especially the entire stretch of the town, is that the state government as a welfare state is aware of one’s duty,” the Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization stated in a press release that was issued on Monday, July 20, to complement the discussions in Tuensang town.
Several local pastors, other church leaders, and public leaders took part in the discussions on roads.
As an outcome of the brain storming during the public meeting, the citizens resolved to lay down the following recommendations to be forwarded to the competent authorities for necessary action in the interest of the public.
• Shift the present garbage dumping site of the Tuensang Town Council at the earliest to keep the town areas clean. The public members have suggested community cleanliness campaigns and work to be conducted once a month to keep the town clean.
This community initiative is also to ‘fulfill the target of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan ‘with a strong hope that the project of constructing public/ community or individual toilet in the district would be place without any acts of misappropriation and unfair means as the town is in dire need of community toilet and even public safe drinking water’
• The illegal mechanism of the syndicates and “agency system” in Tuensang town market must be stopped at the earliest.
• The public roads, especially those within Tuensang town, must be repaired at least to the extent that vehicle can move on it.
• The practice of legislators/politicians in the state in deducting huge amounts of money from MNREGA funds, as so-called “VIP quota”, is wrong and illegal. This criminal activity has to be stopped.
• Honor the rights of differently-able persons or persons with disabilities
Citizens’ Factfile: Things you probably didn’t know about corruption in India
• More than 50% of people have first-hand experience of paying bribes to public officials in order to get their work done.
• Inter-state transport: Truckers in India alone pay $5 billion (yes, US Dollars) in bribes annually.
• The monetary value of petty corruption in 11 basic services in government (education, healthcare, judiciary, police) amounts to about $5 billion annually.
• India’s telecom ministry apparently siphoned $30 billion from various projects over the past few years.
• According to ex-IPS officer Kiran Bedi, about $16 billion is lost to corruption every year in India. Of Rs.100 meant to be spent on infrastructure, only about Rs.16 is used and Rs 84 is lost. Is it in any wonder the state of the infrastructure?
• A recent report by World Bank showed that only 40% of grain handed out to the poor reaches its target. This report says that aid programs in India are beset by corruption, bad administration and under-payments. Yet another embarrassment for the ruling party.
• The Bangalore-based website ipaidabribe.com, which encourages citizens to report bribes anonymously they have paid, has so far compiled 11, 300 reports with a total bribe value of about Rs. 295,000,000. While this is just a fraction of all bribes, the fact that people are taking the trouble to report them tells me how tired and angry they are with the situation. What is the tipping point?
• Independent reports published through 1991 to 2011 calculated the financial net worth of India’s most powerful and traditionally ruling family to be anywhere between $9.41 billion to $18.66 billion, most of it in the form of illegal monies.
• India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss Banks – that is about $1.5 trillion. Staggering!
• According to the data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006), India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. To put things in perspective, Indian-owned Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt.
