The CBI’s swift action has belied the allegation of the opposition parties and the media that this premier investigation agency takes its orders from the government.  It is being dubbed as Congress Bureau of Investigation or Compromised Bureau of Investigation. Though the person arrested is the nephew of the Union Railway Minister, the CBI did not get the nod from the government for busting this scandal.

A case of bribery like this is not uncommon in our government circles.  Those who work for the government at the top level know this truth, though this case came as a great surprise to the public at large. Like this, the posts of Directors and Chairmen in Central Public Sector Undertakings are also reported to be on sale. In this case, the officer was caught red-handed when his conduit was paying the initial bribe money of 90 lakhs.   But, in the case of appointment of Directors and Chairmen in Central PSUs, it is understood that the mainline contractors of the PSUs pay or agree to pay the bribe money to the minister  concerned through clandestine channels.  And that the prospective Director or the prospective Chairman has to fix the bribe money with the contractors concerned.  Even if the Public-sector Enterprises Selection Board selects a particular candidate on merit, the select list containing his name and other names has to go to the Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) for final approval. After the settlement is reached, the contractor concerned would be getting the contracts from the PSU concerned.  This is an open secret known to all including the opposition parties also.  Even the opposition party, BJP, when in power, would have reaped the fruits of this unrighteousness.  Every political party in power treats the PSU as a milking cow for them.

The private sector companies have to fill the coffers of the political parties for which they have to get government or Public sector contracts as quid pro quo.

It is reported in the newspapers that Shri Mahesh Kumar, the Member (Staff) Railway Board who is now under suspension after his arrest by the CBI he had an unblemished record in the Railways. Kumar, an Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRRSE) officer of 1975 batch, graduated in electronics and communication engineering in 1975 from University of Roorkee, which is now IIT Roorkee.

He shot to fame when he registered a Guinness World Record for commissioning the “Largest Route Relay Interlocking” at Old Delhi Railway Station in shortest possible time of 36 hours -- the only officer from Indian Railways to have achieved this.

His profile as stated by the Railways Ministry states that he has many innovations to his credit such as commissioning major doubling projects within 3-4 hours block, modification of Automatic Signaling for safe train operation during fog, termed innovation of the year 2010-11, commissioning Passenger Reservation System through satellite, commissioning first integrated Railways Call Centre using ‘139’, and commissioning major yard remodeling within short blocks.

As General Manager, Western Railway, Shri Kumar has to his credit the completion of mammoth project of conversion of electric traction from 1500 Volts DC to 25000 Volts AC in the Churchgate-Virar section of Mumbai Division, the busiest section with dense suburban as well as long distance traffic without affecting the running of trains.

No doubt, Shri Kumar has performed in an outstanding manner, unparalled by any Railway officer in the history of Indian Railways. But he has fallen a prey to the Mammon of unrighteousness.  Nowadays, the engineering graduates being produced by the premier engineering institutes like IITs or the business graduates being produced by the IIMs are really brilliant but the sad part of the story is that many of them lack integrity.

The so-called “Railway Gate”, as the opposition dub, is only a tip of the iceberg.  It is merely the manifestation of the hidden malaise of political corruption which is the root cause of all corruption in this nation.  Political parties covet corporate funds for fighting the political battles. The political corruption breeds the corruption in bureaucracy. Vijay Singla, nephew of Railway Minister Bansal is reportedly the manager of the constituency of the Railway Minister who needs crores of rupees for fighting the ensuing election.  Such lucrative government or public sector posts are being put on sale by the ministers.

Kindly read my article titled, “Sounding a death knell to the Vigilance Management in the Public Sector”.