THE demand of some Members of Parliament in favour of strict action against the badly managed coaching classes -- for aspirants of the all-India competitive examinations, is fully justified. The management of a famous coaching class in New Delhi allowed the library of the institution to be run in basement of the building. That was where some students lost lives due to sudden flooding. The police moved in quickly and arrested a few persons connected with the coaching class management. However, what needs to be done with a greater sense of urgency is a strict, no-nonsense system of monitoring what is actually going on in coaching classes or similar activities -- from the angle of safety and security. If such a system is introduced, the activities in whatever domains will be monitored strictly and regularly, and mishaps would be avoided. Since such activities go on in big numbers in our country, the urgency of the issue can well be understood. These activities are mostly commercial and have enough monetary resources to provide for safety and security of the beneficiaries. Official machinery needs to be strict while introducing a strong monitoring system and then implement it in a no-nonsense manner. That’s the need of the hour.

 

 

THAT a former Chairman of the Assam Public Service Commission was sentenced to a 14-year hail term in a multi-crore cash-for-jobs scandal, does not surprise many these days. For, such scandals are being reported every now and then by the media, thanks to their frequent occurrences. What is troubling the common people most is the dirty reality that those who are supposed to work a good system with high integrity are found to be guilty of spoiling it beyond repair. It is Assam in this case, but cash-for-jobs or land-for-jobs scandals are cropping up almost everywhere in the country. In some cases, the scandals involve hundreds of crores of rupees swindled by wrong-doers employing smart tactics and defrauding common and helpless people. In most cases that come to light, some people in positions of power and authority in the society get tempted to indulge in corrupt practices and fleece people no end. Such people cause double trouble -- one, they indulge in corrupt practices and cheat innocent, unsuspecting people, and two, nobody actually gets the promised job or return. This makes the crime all the more reprehensible. Will there be a near-perfect solution to such problems?