Code of conduct

Patna, Jan. 6: The state government employees are game to realise chief minister Nitish Kumar’s dream of a corruption-free Bihar but they want the administration to clip wings of the elements who try to influence their functioning.

To deliver goods, the employees’ associations want a code of conduct for people visiting the government establishments and a directive from the political parties to their workers to not to interfere in the functioning of the government servants. They also advocated introduction of a system enabling harassed employees to interact with the top brass.

Bihar Engineering Service Association (Besa) president Ashok Verma said: “There should be a code of conduct for those who visit government offices. A special law should be introduced to tackle people levelling frivolous charges against government officials when they refuse to extend undue favour to them.”

He also sought a mechanism to enable field officials to communicate their problems to the top brass of the government when they are under pressure from different quarters.

The convener of Bihar State Health Services Association (BSHSA) Dr Ajay Kumar said political parties should ask their workers not to interfere in the functioning of the government employees.

“A complaint box should be there in the office of the top brass wherein government employees can drop their letters regarding problems while working in the field,” he said.

Praising the recent meetings in which chief minister Nitish Kumar listened to the demands of various employees’ associations, Dr Kumar said: “Such meetings should be an annual affair. A mechanism should be developed to monitor whether the chief minister’s assurances to the employees were being executed.”

The Bihar Administrative Service Association stands for strengthening the system that looks into the complaints of field officials, particularly in cases they are harassed.

General secretary of Bihar Secondary Teachers’ Association Kedar Nath Pandey said all efforts to check corruption would be nullified if the tendency to influence the government officials was not checked.

“This tendency is the root of corruption. Those extending undue favour start expecting something extra and this prepares the ground for corruption to grow,” he said.

The political parties in Bihar are serious about the employees’ concern. “There are standing instructions to BJP legislators, office-bearers and workers to not to indulge in pressure tactics for getting their work done out of turn,” BJP state unit president Dr C.P. Thakur said.

Even the ruling JD (U) holds similar views. “The tendency to extend undue favour to some would be curbed at all cost,” JD (U) chief spokesperson Sanjay Singh said.