The article “A question of accountability” (Nov. 15) has analysed well the Supreme Court’s verdict on the civil service. No doubt, a fixed tenure will prove to be better for a civil servant, but whether it will succeed in cleansing the deep-rooted culture of the pre-Independence era is debatable.
Political leaders are made scapegoats for all the ills in the country. They appear to be the cause of all problems because they are accessible to people. They are an easy target. Since they have to win elections, they use their clout to influence bureaucrats to get their due or undue wishes fulfilled. On the other hand, civil servants hardly come in contact with the common man. The frustrated poor have to go to their representatives to get their work done. Only when civil servants start connecting with the general public and win their confidence, democracy will thrive in the true sense.
Anand Ji Jha,
Delhi
Both collision and collusion between the political executive and the bureaucracy will lead to organisational imbalance and deficiency in governance. The need of the hour is an administrative cadre that is committed to national objectives and responsive to social needs. A committed bureaucracy should stand for a non-partisan, sensitive civil service which can empathise with the politician who is genuinely interested in development. A people-friendly attitude should replace the feudal, indifferent attitude prevalent in the bureaucracy.
K. Rachna Raj,
Hyderabad
