Question Hour in Parliament and the State legislatures is the time when the government in power is expected to be put on trial, and its Ministers called upon to answer for their omissions and commissions. But who gets to ask what is called the “starred” question, answered orally on the floor unlike “unstarred” questions which are replied to in writing, is a matter of luck.
Starred questions are limited in number, and they are chosen by pick of lots by the office of the Assembly Speaker or the Chairman of the Legislative Council after following due procedure. This is where it becomes a matter of “luck”, whether an MLA or an MLC gets his or her chance to shine on the floor. It was this aspect of the Question Hour that led to a protracted debate in the Legislative Council recently. One member felt that actor-turned-BJP MLC Tara had been getting “too lucky” with starred questions. Another wondered if the “stars” smiling on her had anything to do with her “starry” name (Tara is star is Sanskrit) and her star status.
While this was brushed aside with a hearty laugh, some members also wondered if the Question Hour was becoming a “ritual” with the government giving predictable and flippant answers. One member said that he had asked the same question in successive sessions and got the same “vague” answer. “The purpose of raising the question is to make the government wake up to the issue and act on it. Why raise the question at all if the government is happy just giving the same lazy reply,” he asked. Questions on Question Hour dragged on for nearly half an hour, when Chairman D.H. Shankaramurthy decided to put a stop to it, lest this debate ate into the Question Hour time itself.
Tough message
After last month’s raid on the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) headquarters by the Lokayukta during “evening deal hours”, the government decided to crack the whip on BDA officials who failed to ensure transparency in registration of properties. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also looks after the BDA portfolio, decided to send back 233 officers on deputation to their parent departments.
As per the rule, no official on deputation is allowed to continue in government office for more than five years.
Officials posted on deputation, who appear to have learnt the art of striking deals with the public and the middlemen on property transactions in BDA, generally refused to shift to their parent departments. But the raid on BDA has sent shock waves in the organisation as well in other government departments. Now, the Chief Minister promises not only suspension of officials caught by the Lokayukta but also taking stern legal action against such officials. During the last two years, the Lokayukta trapped 166 government servants. Now, the Government is planning to bring amendments to the Karnataka Civil Service Cadre and Recruitment Rules to meet out severe punishment to officials trapped by the Lokayukta. Will the proposed rules clean up the administration?
Paying the price?
Managements of private colleges and tuition institutes appear to be dictating terms to the State government. Jayaprakash, Deputy Director of Pre-University Board, Tumkur, was shunted out of the district when he made no compromises on curbing the “tuition mafia”.
The district unit of the Students Federation of India maintained that the officer had been transferred for controlling the “tuition mafia” in the district. It accused the government of succumbing to the pressure from a particular association in Tumkur. Most colleges and coaching institutions are owned by influential politicians. The officer initiated several steps to clean up the education system during his two-year stint in the district.
Many lecturers in PU colleges, particularly the government ones, they alleged, used to threaten students that they would not allow them to graduate to the next class if they failed to register their names for private tuition classes for the second year course. After the SFI submitted a petition to
Mr. Jayaprakash, he visited Pavagada and other taluk headquarters and took stern action against some lecturers. Though students demanded cancellation of the transfer, the government hurriedly posted Doddalappa, Principal, Government PU College, Madhugiri, Tumkur, as the in-charge Deputy Director. Will the new officer stand up to the so-called mafia?
High hopes
One taluk and three legislators from three different political parties!
Srinivasapur taluk in Kolar district enjoys this distinction — one is an MLA and two are MLCs, and they are in three different political parties. K.R. Ramesh Kumar (Congress) represents Srinivasapur in the Assembly, Y.A. Narayanaswamy (BJP) represents Southeast Teachers’ constituency in the Legislative Council, and R. Chowda Reddy (Janata Dal-S) represents Southeast Graduates constituency in the Council.
The Srinivasapur Assembly constituency covers some parts of Kolar taluk. However, both the Southeast Teachers constituency and Southeast Graduates constituency are spread over Kolar, Chickballapur, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Tumkur districts. As the taluk has three legislators, the people are hopeful of approaching more than one of them in the State Secretariat and expect a lot of funds to be released for development schemes.
