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| Are former MLAs above law? | | | NIRBHAY JAMMUAL
Whenever any Government employee is on the verge of retirement he or she spends at least three-month pre-retirement period on setting his personal file in order so that he or she is able to draw pension just one month after retirement.Even those working in the private sector update their personal file so that they do not face any inconvenience in receiving post-retirement benefits, even if they are not entitled to pension. They do it because they need money for their sustenance. And those employees who are slow in keeping their personal file intact belong to the lot of those who have banked on understandable money they have been getting during their servce period.
And if the majority of those MLAs who ceaed to be the members of the Assemly which was dissolved on July 10,have not mde any serious exercise on getting their monthly pension sanctioned have done so because either they were not in dire need of money or they had procured no objection certificates from different Government departments. The former MLAs are entitled to monthly pension but they are supposed to seek no objection certificates from various departments, nclding electricity, water works, hospitality and protocol, Estates and General Adminisration. For several former MLAs the process of securing no objection certificates from different Government departments has been tedious and cumbersome. It is a nerve racking exercise for these former MLAs who had developed the habit of banking on Government employees, including those working in the Assembly Secretariat for preparing their questions and calling attention notices which they would table in the House.
Members of the Legislature simply banked on their lung power while raising a question or a supplementary. They would raise their voice while participating in the debates in the House. They would show their muscles while trying to unnerve members belonging to the rival groups. Hence they had no training in preparing otes themselves or writing applications, recommendations to the Government. As far as their pay and perks are concerned they have been t a par with the salary nd perks enjoyed by the ministers. Like ministers they too did not feel it necessary to clear water, electricity and other arrears. In certain cases former MLAs did not bother to pay rent of rooms they had booked in Circuit Houses or in the Guest Houses.
A couple of MLAs have been frank enough to say that they have not applied for pension because there is an outstanding against them in the Hospitality and Protocol Department. These former MLAs had booked rooms in the circuit houses for their friends and those very friends failed to make any payment. These former MLAs have preferred to wait for the election results to losing a big chunk of money in the shape of clearing the arrears. Some wait for contesting the next election and they are hopeful on getting reelected to the Assembly. That would insure them against clearing arrears. Others, who do not feel they have a winning chance, await the formation of the Government so that they could seek some favor from it. They know as members of the Assembly they are law makers which entitles them to bend the rules to suit their convenience. Though some of them say that as a result of hefty alary they were able to same money for the rainy day but they have to spend huge sums of money on running the household affairs. Many among them have not vacated the Government accommodation because they are sure to get reelected to the Assembly. They are above law. They are above common people. |
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