the invisible hand stopping everything

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Bureaucrats must share blame for terror mayhem: Experts Thursday, 04 December ,

2008, 11:02

Last Updated: Thursday, 04 December , 2008, 11:27  

New Delhi Every time terrorists have struck India, fingers have been pointed at

the security establishment for failing in its primary task. But are bureaucrats

not equally responsible?

Many experts believe that bureaucrats and politicians should be made accountable

for the delays and lapses in the administrative system that cost the country

hundreds of lives.

Joginder Singh, former Chief of the India's elite investigating agency Central

Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said it was a travesty of Indian democracy that

important issues were being handled by people who had no knowledge of them.

FBI helping India gather evidence on Mumbai attacks

" Files are caught in red tapism. The bureaucrats are given power just to say

no, " Singh said.

" The bureaucrats make decisions only after some terror attack. They sanctioned

the posts of 17,000 policemen to Delhi Police only after the September serial

blasts in the capital while the proposal had been pending with the home ministry

for over a decade.

" Posts which had been lying vacant in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for years

were sanctioned only after the Delhi blasts. Similarly, a proposal to strengthen

the sea ring only saw light after the Mumbai terror strikes, " he said.

Special:Mumbai Terror Attack

A senior Delhi Police official admitted that the proposal to increase the

force's strength had been pending approval from the Home and Finance Ministries

for the past decade. But the clearance came after the September 13 blasts.

" We had asked for 17,000 policemen, but they gave only 7,000 and again made a

promise for the remaining 10,000 in the near future. How do you expect

intelligence gathering with just a handful of staff? " the official asked.

This year India has seen major terror attacks from the Jaipur serial blasts in

May to the Bangalore and Ahmedabad blasts in July to the Delhi blasts in

September and finally, the Mumbai terror attack in November. Over 400 people

have been killed and at least 1,000 injured in these strikes.

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Like always, the blame has been shifted to intelligence gathering. But experts

say bureaucrats are as much at fault.

For instance, the Maharashtra government did not react to the coastal security

scheme prepared by former additional director-general of police V N Deshmukh for

nearly three years.

Desmukh, who served in the IB and retired as commissioner (intelligence), in his

report suggested the setting up of 52 police stations along the coast of

Maharashtra and the purchase of speedboats for patrolling, interceptors and

sophisticated arms like Kalashnikovs.

The state government took a prompt decision only after the Mumbai terror strikes

that saw a 60-hour bloodbath, claiming over 180 lives. The central government

gave its nod to the purchase of aircraft for the National Security Guard (NSG)

only after it came under heavy criticism due to delay in operations.

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" Bureaucrats sit over projects and proposals to strengthen the police forces and

the intelligence mechanism for years without reason. They are not aware of the

real problems and ground realities. They make decisions on their own, " Prakash

Singh, the former Director General of Uttar Pradesh police and Border Security

Force, said.

" They have become insensitive to these attacks and live in their own world. A

majority of them are callous and inefficient. They think they are supermen,

elite and have super powers, " Prakash Singh added.

He said the entire system is responsible for letting the attacks happen.

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" Politicians and Bureaucrats' accountability should be fixed. It can only be

done by public and media pressure as both of these work hand in gloves, " he

said.

Major General (retd) V K Singh, who retired from the Research and Analysis Wing

(RAW) - India's foreign intelligence agency - said bureaucrats should be held

responsible for not providing the required infrastructure to the security

establishment.

" But the main culprits are the Intelligence Bureau and RAW which have time and

again failed in their prime job of intelligence gathering. These are the only

agencies that have no dearth of money and have the best available equipment in

the world, " said V K Singh.

Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai airports on high alert

" Even when our defence forces are accountable to the parliamentary committee,

both the IB and RAW are outside its purview as well as that of the Comptroller

and Auditor General (CAG). "

" The day they (IB and RAW) are made accountable to parliament for their actions

and the money spent, we will see more discipline among the officials and perhaps

would be able to crack down on terrorists before time. At present, no one is

sacked for indiscipline and failure in their duty, " he added.

Joginder Singh said along with the Home Minister some bureaucrats should also be

made accountable and they must go

Ashok Sinha