To, 20.2.2015
Shri Anand Kulkarni
ACS PWD
Mantralaya
Dear Anandji…
Subject: PWD…”Please
take it seriously”!!
Namaskar…first of all, let me congratulate you on the giant
step of suspending 17 Sectional/Junior Engineers of PWD you have taken/initiated.
This certainly has created ripples in all over Maharashtra’s PWD. Read the
names of suspended Engineers in Daily Lokmat first, filed by my estranged uncle
some Joshi; I don’t wish to be associated with.
But wasn’t the list supposedly to be given to another Daily
who had made daring headlines over a month? How come only Lokmat is accessible
with names et all? Anyways, point is not that. Here in the PWD where Engineers
are shitting bricks in Mumbai, our Thane division seems to be very ecstatic
with all the happenings, I guess. Coming 23rd of February, our
beloved Engineer’s have arranged for a PLAY at Gadkari auditorium and that too
they have titled it, “Take it lightly”…Wah!! What messages are these
Engineers are trying to give us? Aren’t they supposed to be scared of You, RTI
activists, newly born RTI activists cum
contractors of PWD? Going by the media hype PWD has got, is it comfortable
to say or assume, that someone very powerful from Thane, who actually could be
the game player, has guaranteed these Engineers a safety passage?
Anyways, I’m following PWD for over a decade now….shall
put forth some interesting facts, which I assume, you are aware, but let’s take
you for a quick recap of PWD and the dangerous games involved …mind
you…this is strictly OFF THE RECORD….
1. It all began when a Daily “Morninger” from Pune
whose roots originate with the Pawar family, started publishing news against
PWD. The topic or agenda was set, “Series against PWD”. Now we all know in
political circles, that there is no love lost between the Pawar’s and the
Bhujbal’s even if they belong to the same party. The whole world knows how
Bhujbal in all his capacity tried establishing his Samta Parishad all across
India and how senior Pawar in one master stroke left it to shreds. Mr. Bhujbal
was also the controversial serving PWD minister in the last Government. So can
we safely assume that definitely this war is not against some
“Engineers” but it is actually between the Pawar’s and Bhujbal? Now
why I say that, is what political news I have gathered, confirms that in the whole
of Nasik District be it the smallest of small decision, it has to go through
the senior Bhujbal. Yes even MNS listen to him. Bhujbal’s game plan after losing
the Loksabha was to migrate. He started the movement by sending his close
associates to either Shivsena or BJP. The
clout was growing slowly but steadily, and this, I assume, didn’t go down well
with the NCP. After Aaba’s cancer was detected, senior Pawar had no one left in
the party having a mass base except for Bhujbal i.e. IF Ajitdada and Tatkare
come out clean of all enquiries put up against them. So the mission was to retain
him but also to keep him under check. Best way for Pawar must have been to
expose and corner Bhujbal. Hence PWD became a soft target. By exposing Bhujbal’s,
it is a yet again after Samta Parishad debacle, a step towards clipping his
wings. This in my views was the Political angle for PWD exposure.
2. Sir, now for your information, again I assume you know it
all, such systematic information leakages in the Media is certainly not a work
of any investigating team. There has to be an insider. A contractor, an
engineer or an ex chief engineer… who knows? Sir, in a home of Indian Joint
family, generally head of the family or the Grandfather takes a decision for
the grandkids or his son/daughter. If the son or daughter or the grandkids go
against the wishes of the Grandfather, he or she is due for a punishment. But
when the Grandfather makes mistakes, never the kids or grandkids will punish
him or tell this to anyone. They will silently take the beating. Sir in PWD,
please with folded hands I’m telling you, the Grandfather is the Executive
Engineer (or SE or CE) and the son or the daughter is the Deputy Engineer and
the Grandkids are surely the Sectional/Junior Engineers.
3. I agree with you that the MBs caught by the ACB at someplace
else than office is a crime, but who instructs these JEs to do so? It is the EE
or the person above, can be SE or CE. If a particular LOC is received, just
record this, the EE goes mad that day. He sits with all his staffs and
allocates each and every step of work, be it awarding work, releasing bills,
giving extensions, increasing costs, getting funds etc… These DE and JE
are just the implementers. They absolutely have NO say in this, except by getting
their cuts. So by suspending these low level officers, you are just closing the
chapter temporarily.
4. Now the big part. Why on earth people are concerned with
where MBs were caught? Boss, the real Masala is inside the MBs that are caught.
Focus there ACB. Give it to handwriting experts; you will be surprised that the
writing might just not match with any of your engineer. FYI…Match the
handwriting with some of the contractors who were awarded the works. Another
scandal!! Also with a limited set of
funds to the PWD been released, just to save their respect, Engineers might
have been hiding the MBs at other places, just to avoid falling it in someone
else’s hand. If any other contractor lays hand on them, he will start demanding
work or blackmail these engineers for release of his old payments.
5. Earlier in the last 10 to 15 years in PWD, there were only
8 to 10 well wishers of the
department who use to regularly visit the PWD. They could be anyone. But still
what they received back then was just a well deserved respect, exchange of
information and a VVIP treatment and that’s all. There were still some dirty
minds working then who thought that a lot of money was exchanged then. This led
to build on the frustration and now as time passed, these frustrated people
turned into Contractors. Respect replaced money or hafta for them, in their own minds. Some formed organizations and started
to get works from the PWD. When they saw the old timers coming to PWD even
today, they also wanted a piece of the PIE, which actually was never there.
These contractors did the work, got into the systems, and started putting RTIs
and extorting same money which they paid to these engineers as
“cuts”…
6. I’m an actual journalist. I have put an RTI in Thane
division for an actual work which is dubious and believe me; I haven’t received
the information for past 3 months. The Executive Engineer is busy traveling
abroad round the year, don’t know how many times his son will play the game,
and the Deputy Engineer (on whom there was add charge) is so busy preparing for
the PLAY on the 23rd. Went in the appeal. No use. Sir, please cancel this PLAY.
If this happens, the harmony will be broken in the caste spirited PWD.
7. Now let’s discuss why you suspended junior engineers from
Nasik? You judge, is it possible for a JE or a DE to organize a farewell party
at a lawn without prior consent to the EE or CE? Then if that’s the case, in
2004 swearing in ceremony was held at Azad Maidan at the last minute. It was
decided by Pawar to hold the mega event there. That means you will suspend the
JE then who was just an implementer? Here also sir, the authority to
decide the venue was someone else. Not the JEs.
Sir, in no way am protecting these suspended officials. They
are definitely a part of everything. But the bigger fishes are yet out in the
sea.
I hope JEs and DEs take a cue from this, henceforth. The
mandate if only legal and in written form should be accepted and implemented
henceforth by the JEs and DEs. Saheb, let’s get to the iceberg rather than the
tip of it. Simple rule I follow…if I want my kids to behave properly, My
Grandfather/ head of the family has to sacrifice his lifestyle and lead by an
example!!
Vikrant Hemant Joshi.
