The arrest of two officers of the forest department for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices is a new low for the government servants of the state. The DFO and the RFO of the Banderdewa forest division have been arrested by the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) for seeking bribe from a contractor. Reportedly, they have been caught on camera, seeking 20 percent bribe. This is for the first time in Arunachal that officers have been caught seeking bribe on camera. The contractor, Nabam Akam, deserves to be appreciated for the daring act of conducting a sting operation.
This should be a wakeup call for Arunachal. The corrupt practice is destroying the state. The culture of collecting percentage money by the government officials is the root cause of everything that is wrong with the state. Often, contractors compromise with quality of work to make up for the percentage money. This affects the outcome of the entire project. If a contractor refuses to pay a percentage, often the government officers harass them and hold up their payment. This culture has to end if the state is to truly progress. The state government should pass strict laws, making both accepting and giving bribes punishable. It is time the government officers also introspected themselves. They need to think of their own reputation and the future of the state. For their present, they are destroying the future of the state. One day their own children and grandchildren will ask them tough questions regarding their role in the shaping of the state.