[Reader-list] Crusade of a Woman against corruption

[Sagnik Chakravartty]

The following story appeared in www.tripurainfo.com --
Do have a look
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Postal Service: The Lady fights corruption alone  
By Our Correspondent  


Agartala, October 30:  A lady officer of the central
government in a bid to root out corruption and to
bring some semblance of work culture which was long
absent in the office, is fighting it out alone despite
heavy odds and threat on her person. 

Director of Postal Service, Tripura, Trishaljit Sethi,
is not only facing slogan shouting trade-unionists
during her stay in the office but also opposition from
the ruling party, CPM , as she took ´stern´ actions
against some of the postal service employees for
corruption who turned out to be hardcore unionists.
The postal service in Tripura has long been known as a
hub of corruption and trade union politics. Several
other past DPS had also tried their best to root out
corruption but on the face of strong opposition left
their task unfinished. But the situation turned
different after Sethi, a former Army Postal Service
officer, took over charge in December 2000. 

At first stroke she transferred some employees who
were posted in the same office for the last 25 years
and were in neck deep corruption. Came along the order
to up-to-date Recurring Deposits in the postal
department, which were not done for years together. 

The employees who are residents of the state itself
were also drawing Special Duty Allowances, which
ranged between Rs 800 to Rs 1200 or so, every month,
for the last 20 years violating the Supreme Court
Order. In July this year Sethi stopped this practice
too. All these orders were not at all welcome and
resentment was brewing among the employees. The CITU
affiliated National Federation of Postal Employees
kept on exerting pressure on the director to withdraw
her orders. However, which triggered wide agitation
was charge-sheet against one employee Kanti Debbarma
under Rule 14 of CCS (CCA) for his involvement in
alleged huge financial irregularities in small savings
on July 30 last. Debbarma was to retire within months.


On August 5 both the CITU affiliated NFPE and INTUC
affiliated Federation of National Postal Organization
met Sethi to request her to withdraw the chargesheet.
But the deputation turned ugly as a section of NFPE
employees physically manhandled the lady officer. As
the employees turned violent, Shillong Circle office
withdrew the charge-sheet to save the situation in
Agartala office at that moment. The incident was, in
fact, a virtual repetition of an incident in eighties
when another lady DPS TK Ariyavir, presently DDG of
the Postal Service, faced the similar violent
employees in the same office. 

Sethi went on a long leave and the Shillong office
once again reissued the chargesheet against Debbarma
since it had to be withdrawn ´under duress´. 

The assault not only angered the higher ups in
Shillong and New Delhi but also the INTUC affiliated
FNPO withdrew from the agitation immediately. 

"The DPS had to chargesheet against Debbarma under
Rule 14 as the higher ups in Shillong wanted it. It
was a fraud of high degree and had she taken a lenient
view it would have amounted her connivance", said an
officer with the Postal service. "Moreover, she tried
to convince the employees that since she had filed the
chargesheet, only her senior authority could withdraw
it", he added. 

During her leave, however, both Shillong and Delhi did
not shut the files and apart from reissuing the
chargesheet against Debbarma, also transferred four
employees who allegedly took active part in the
assault. While Haru Dasgupta and Janardan Debnath were
sent to Shillong, two women trade unionists Aniva
Datta and Ajita Datta were transferred to Dharmanagar
in North Tripura. They moved the CAT but were
defeated. One Extra Departmental Employee was also put
on ´off duty" for his misbehaviour with the
departmental chief. 

She joined the service on October 21 with police
protection. But as the NFPE, the stronger union body,
vowed not to cooperate and kept on shouting slogans in
front of her office, the functioning in her office
came to virtual standstill. Now the ruling party has
landed in the field and CPM MP Khagen Das has written
a letter to Union Minister of Communications Pramode
Mahajan seeking his intervention. CITU state unit
secretary Manik Dey also threatened joint movement of
the trade union bodies of the CPM. But there are many
who supported the lady in her fight against corruption
in the department. 
 


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