MUMBAI, Dec 10: It could be the frustration of seeing his government's pet schemes coming to naught and a politician's uncanny knack of finding scapegoats for failures. It could also be a genuine attempt of a leader to make the steel frame more pliable. Whatever his intentions, Chief Minister Manohar Joshi lost his cool over the way State bureaucrats function or rather the way they don't.

A normally calm and composed CM blew his top at Sunday's high level meeting with bureaucrats who blamed sacrosanct procedures for a particular mix-up. "I am the Chief Minister, I am directing you to change the rules immediately," Joshi thundered. And he followed this up the next day with suggesting a complete reorientation of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officials to change their approach towards tackling major problems.

According to a senior official, Joshi expressed strong displeasure over rampant red-tapism in Mantralaya at both the meetings convened by Public Works Minister Nitin Gadkari to consider participation of financial institutions in the ambitious multicrore road projects.

On Sunday, Gadkari had called a meeting with top officials of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to review the tar topping of roads in rural areas. It was found that though the NABARD had agreed to release Rs 400 crore in a phased manner, the amount was actually not received by the department as it failed to make a budgetary provision of 10 per cent of the loan amount.

Joshi was visibly upset at this and had it confirmed that the sum was not received owing to procedural lapse on the part of the Planning Department. Leaving no chance, Joshi reprimanded the officials of the Planning Department for inordinate delay. When a top official made an attempt to explain the procedure for making budgetary provisions in such schemes, Joshi shot back, saying, he was not interested in hearing excuses. "I am the Chief Minister, I am the government, I am directing you to change the procedure immediately," Joshi admonished the shocked official.

At the second meeting with Chairmen and Managing Directors of urban cooperative banks, the Chief Minister called for change in attitude of top bureaucrats. "Even if major policy decisions are taken, they are of no use if they are not implemented in letter and spirit. It is the responsibility of the bureaucrats to work beyond just issuing orders," Joshi remarked.

Further, the Chief Minister called for a complete reorientation of top bureaucrats. If it was not possible in a routine manner, then the basic curriculum for the Indian Administrative Service should be changed for the purpose, he suggested.

The revamp mood extended to Mantralaya too. Joshi felt that the existing system of submitting the files through at least five officials - from Section Officer to Chief Minister via Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Secretary and Cabinet Minister of the concerned department - should be changed and instead, one decision making table should be set up to expedite the files.

Of course, this was not first occasion when Joshi had to blast top bureaucrats for delay in implementing welfare measures taken by the alliance government. In his encounter with the bureaucrats immediately after he took over the reins of the State, he had explained at length his concept of administration and process of decision making.

However, in the subsequent meeting, Joshi had to tell them that he was not happy with their performance on the ground there was no response to directives issued by him. "If the directives of the Chief Minister are treated in such a manner, then what will be the situation of letters written by common citizens," Joshi had asked the top bureaucrats.

In fact, when Joshi had asked the then Chief Secretary Sharad Upasni to proceed on leave and appointed Dinesh Afzalpurkar in his place. Upasani was not given any posting till his retirement.

A section of Shiv Sena and BJP ministers have strongly endorsed the views of their Chief Minister. "Despite novel schemes, we have not been able to deliver the goods owing to indifferent attitude of the senior bureaucrats," a senior BJP Minister told The Indian Express.

After the Sena-BJP government came to power in March 1994, it had taken at least a dozen revolutionary decision, but they have not reached the target groups as the bureaucrats failed to chalk out a strategy for their implementation in letter and spirit, the Minister pointed out.

The cabinet members felt that the alliance government should chalk out a golden handshake scheme for non-performing bureaucrats to ensure that they do not cause further damage to the alliance government.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.