Rajahmundry, Sept. 28: Elected representatives demanding a "cut" in works executed in their strongholds is nothing new. However, the government’s "development slogan" has added a whole new dimension to this growing demand.
Nowadays, politicians have even started intimidating officials to make them allot development works in their areas. The usual threat is to transfer the official or to trap him or her in an Anti-Corruption Bureau case.
Once the petrified official allots the work, the representative colludes with the contractor to get his percentage. As the Congress government has introduced several welfare schemes, public representatives from panchayat ward members to MPs are falling over each other to get schemes for their constituencies.
No political party is exempt from the percentage craze and officials have to kowtow to the demands of leaders from all parties. Recently, the Telugu Desam corporators in the Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation made a big hue and cry for sanction of funds to all the 50 divisions equally.
They alleged that works were sanctioned only in the divisions represented by the Congress. It was also alleged that Congress corporators have also been able to squeeze in the names of their cohorts in the list of beneficiaries for various schemes. Opposition parties are therefore saying that the welfare schemes are benefiting the Congress workers and nobody else.
Some officials are making hay by joining hands with politicians belonging to the ruling party. But those who are honest and straightforward are finding it very difficult to work. Many of them are now trying to get transfers to escape from the "development agenda". "How long we can tolerate this?" wondered an official. "Even high-level elected representatives are directly asking for percentages."
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