BANGALORE: “Corrupt people seize to be human. They may be human beings but there is no humanity left in them,” said former lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde.
He was speaking to students and parents at the sesquicentennial celebrations of the Sisters of the Lady of the Missions at the Mariam Nilaya Convent located at Banaswadi in the city on Friday.
Giving the example of a young couple from Bagalkot with a sick child who came to his office in 2009, Hegde explained that the couple was refused treatment at a government hospital in Hubli and a bribe was demanded. “Doctors take an oath to serve people when they join. How can a doctor refuse treatment demanding a bribe? ,” he said.
Hegde also cited a CAG report of 2008 which stated that Rs 51,000 crore of Central Government assistance was unaccounted for in the year 2006-2007. “It is not that we dont have the money to progress, corruption and has to be addressed first,” he said while pointing out that the public needs to make the politicians understand that they are public servants and not rulers of the state.
Set up in 1861 by Adele Euphrasie Barbier in France, the mission today functions in 29 countries including India where the Sisters first established their presence in Assam in 1915. Bangalore saw the first establishment of a mission by the Sisters in 1964 in Milton Street and the current Banaswadi mission was set up in 1974. The two-day celebration will consist of cultural functions and other competitions for the school children.