Samikhsya Bureau
It may not be the first such instance of extravaganza to have been adopted by government officials but, it goes on and few of them are eye brow raisers. That officials under the oath to serve the people are not able to wriggle out of the luxurious mind-set on personal grounds.
An information has it that the district collector of Deogarh in Odisha has allowed a huge splurge, to the tune of Rs.96 lakhs to be spent on the innovation and repair works of his office and official residence at Deogarh.
It is no mere an ostentation by any yardstick. That is when the nation is seized with the scare of an economic slow down, facing the nation and the specters of a more nightmare stares the nation, a District Magistrate on 25.2. 2019 sanctioned an estimated Rs. 63, 41,272 towards the repair and renovation of the DM residence in the first phase. Of which Rs. 26,80,565 has been already spent on the repair and renovations while the works are in process to utilize the rest Rs.36, 60,707.
A total of the two phased amount can of course be enough to build three to four houses for any middle income group category. The question is, was such repairs and renovations so compelling to make the quarters livable or the motive was driven by class complex is the bigger question!
The entire exercise has been going on and the flash in the pan was the query by an RTI activist of Mayurbhanj Santosh Mohanty who had applied under the RTI act to know about the extravaganza following a tip from the people engaged with the works, The PIO of the office of the Executive Engineer (R&B) has detailed out the expenses for the repair and renovation of the office & residences of the Collector and the Superintendent of Police of Deogarh.
At one go, the repair and renovation of these structures were perhaps accorded priority over the other such crushing difficulties of financial handicaps as regards many other developmental activities related to people and their welfare.
A total of Rs.95 lakhs at this juncture whether was compelling or it was driven by quest of status and comfort of public servants is an issue that merits scrutiny.
Were those offices and residence of both the top brasses of Deogarh were in dilapidation and not worthy of living is not known, but a whopping sum of Rs.95 lakhs for just R & R can help construction of half a dozen modest houses anytime.
The splurge appear to be hideous and deserve a scrutiny to check the draining of money from public exchequer for avoidable comforts of officers.
