Stories of favouritism and double standards are a dime a dozen in government offices. The executive is mighty enough to bend the established rule of law, unnoticed by many. Even if detected, the babus have their tools to fight to circumvent the arguments of the critics. Unless there are abundant manifestations of corruption, such cases go unnoticed. They bestow an uncanny instinct to safeguard their own personal interests.
In any public office there is a particular seat entirely to look after the service conditions and benefits of the staff working there. It is the ‘establishment’ seat in office jargon. This particular seat, is an in-house clinic for the ‘servants of the people’ alone. You only have to compare the pendency of the files in seats other than the ‘establishment’ to understand the magnitude of favouritism and double standards perpetuated by the babus. In the establishment seat things happen at lightning speed. While a medical reimbursement claim from the public may take an average processing period of two to three months , a similar claim from one among the staff will be dealt within an hour in the establishment seat. It is not astonishing because to be selfish is quite natural.
But there is another kind of selfishness among the babus when they fight each other for the same crumbs of the cake. The financial inspection wing of government is empowered to check any official vehicle on road and verify the logbook. As per norms, only very high officials are permitted to use their official vehicles for journeys from home to office and back or to the railway station, bus stand, etc.
Others do not have such a privilege. However, one can see any number of official vehicles, on duty at the public places where they are not permitted to come. But on rare occasions those who indulge in such pleasures will fight among themselves much to the amusement of the onlookers. Some years ago such an incident occurred in our district headquarters.
A batch of babus usually have the advantage of journeying in their official car from the railway station to the collectorate every morning. While everyone else jostled around autos and rickety private buses immediately on arrival at the station, an Ambassador car is there to take these fellows to office at the right time.
But one day they were stopped at the station gate itself by an official from the financial inspection wing and seized the vehicle for unlawful plying. Naturally there was an altercation between the birds of the same feather. The scenes were shot live by the television channels as well. No one knows who arranged the shooting. The drama ended with the victory of the finance official who charged the driver of the vehicle for unlawful operations. Those inside the car were ordered out. Those humiliated were bidding for time to hit back at the overzealous finance official.