Our public works, graft, and heritage conservation

Tanuj Goswami

(tanujuri03@gmail.com)

A few months ago, in a meeting for the distribution of appointment
letters to some new recruits, the Chief Minister of Assam made a stunning but true revelation: 70% of our engineers do not have the necessary professional competence to make a simple plan estimate and instead have to unabashedly depend on the contractors.

This has indeed created an element of reverberation in the concerned section of our state as to the standard of technical education in the engineering institutes of Assam, which has been more of a theoretical nature than practical orientation. The cost of substandard work, wastage of resources, repetition, and ignorance is too high for a state like Assam.

Having piloted the State Lok Nirman (PWD) Department for so many years, the CM must have acquired the basic skill to question and detect the pestering loose ends to be tied up in the department concerned, and it makes good sense to publicly disclose a vital issue with adverse implication. It is hoped that the technical institutes of the state, the recruiting agencies, the engineering associations, etc. will take serious note and set the stage for necessary correction.

Furthermore, the CM has called upon the engineers to arm themselves with the necessary skills and competence for some iconic projects in Assam. The engineering skills elsewhere have notched up on an unbelievable scale, but we are still in the dark age as far as the construction process with cutting-edge software and manufacturing is concerned. Here again, another important issue intricately involved has meanwhile caused quite a furor across the state. As committed, the Government of Assam appointed hundreds of thousands of youths in different categories of posts and rightfully claimed that the “corruption-free, prompt, and most clean” recruitment process ever happened in Assam. This is indeed highly commendable and as warm as toast. No one already appointed raised a finger or complained of unfair means against such recruitment, and the cross-section of people hailed the government, particularly the Chief Minister, for the marvellous job.

Time and again, the CM at different forums has warned the government servants to desist from corruption and to work devotedly for the best interest of their community and the state. But most unfortunately, the skeletons in the cupboard have been tumbling down almost daily, and concerned government enforcement machines have to be on alert, rounding up corrupt officials with no end in sight. 

In a State Engineering Department (not Lok Nirman) of upper Assam, one senior but shrewd corrupt official gets involved in lining his pocket even in issuing release orders for the newly-recruited subordinate staff (as lowly as Khalasi) who are on transfer notification by the department concerned. It is a classic case of a big slap in the face of the government. 

The mindset of many officials gets wrapped up in corrupt practices, for whom holding a government job is a licence of life-time opportunity to fleece the public. In most cases, the seniors are adept at illegal practices, encouraging the new recruits to take the garden path, thus doing a great disservice to society and the government as well. Such officers need to be pinpointed and deserve to face retributive justice like dismissal.

The government has been initiating a series of steps for reforms in the culture of governance, but the fish have started to rot from the head down, and in the meantime, it proves an uphill task for the government to get it back on track.

What happened during the earlier years in the governance system under different political regimes was gut-wrenching, and it badly undermined the entire value system of our society. The spectre of APSC is still haunting us, which is just the tip of an iceberg, but numerous others have sunk into oblivion. The crusade against corruption is arduous but achievable at long last. 

In Assam, barring the recent trend of some high-rise public buildings at district or sub-division headquarters, most government construction works are devoid of any aesthetic sense or value, looking drab and dull in most cases.

Even the scope for Assam-type houses, which have their own unique characteristics with traditional fervour, is never given serious thought for design upgrade without having to lose the harmony between the distinctive features of such houses and the local environment and climatic onditions. 

The dwelling houses of Assam bear their own significant identity, and except for some majestic Assam-type old private houses normally seen in some towns and villages (many of which are replaced with RCC structures), most are gone. Many elegant Assam-type tea garden bungalows are classic examples of the affluence of our heritage, the beauty of which is unmatchable. Sadly, no concern at all is seen emanating from any quarter for their protection and conservation for posterity.

The government should take on the role of prime mover for the construction and promotion of such structures with new design and technology upscaling in places where there is no dearth of land. Funds shouldn’t or shouldn’t be an obstacle to conserving the art, heritage, culture, and tradition of a place, and a well-meaning government should be morally bound to carry forward the mantle of showcasing the rich traditional Assam type houses. Even in many areas of Meghalaya, imposing Assam-type structures are beautifully preserved and maintained.

The old Portuguese-designed adorable houses of Goa are a case in point, standing tall and bearing eloquent testimony to a place that the Goan government seriously promotes as a tourist site.

How the Japanese could have constructed and preserved their small but architecturally designed, time-tested, beautiful houses (looking Assam-type) needs certain introspection. The Government of Assam should look into aspects of preservation and promotion where there is a unique fusion of natural objects applied with the surrounding atmospheric conditions for replication, which certainly is not rocket science. 

The powers that be have their hands full with the huge responsibilities of steering the state out of troubled waters, but what equally matters is the preservation of the culture and heritage resources of indigenous communities that face extinction. No civilised state allows the core of the local identity to slip away, so whatever traditional resources are still available need care, nice upkeep, and the priority of a responsible government.