Acharya's Road To Jail

[katharnak]

Hyderabad, Jan 31: Emaar Properties has named a road as 'Acharya Marg', in the Emaar Township, showing its gratitude to B P Acharya for allowing them to loot the government. Acharya must have been happy then. But little did he know that the road would lead him into jail.

The arrest of senior IAS officer and Principal Secretary, home department, though not unexpected, has given a jolt to the system in which officers fall prey to the manifestations of politicians, if they are greedy for power or money.

Both Sri Lakshmi who is now in jail in the Obulapuram mining scam and B P Acharya who was arrested on Monday in the Emaar scam are known to be honest officers during the early days of their careers. When politicians put pressure on officers so that they could make a quic buck, officers tend to bend either for greater power and positions or for making money along with politicians. This is what has happened in the case of both Acharya and Sri Lakshmi.

IAS officers are the best treated burocrates in the country. The government offers them the best of facilities. If an officer wants to serve the people, there is no end to his power. An IAS officer could help lakhs of poor and under priveleged people in this country. But unfortunately this service attitude is lacking in most. This creamy layor of burocracy is preferring to serve the politicians and powers that be, than the under priveleged. This is the reason why they are plunging into miseries, leading to even imprisonment.

Acharya was the MD of APIIC when the Emaar scam took place. 258 acres of land valued at Rs. 5676 crores was given away to Emaar properties for developing an international level township. However, it was during his regime that the government agency APIIC's share in the joint venture was reduced from 26 percent to 6.5 percent. It was with this gratitude, that a road was named after him as 'Acharya Marg' in the Emaar Township.

The Solicitor General of India Gopala Subrahmaniam has seriously faulted Acharya for his dubious role in the deal. Emaar has given the responsibility of developing the township to MGF without the knowledge of the APIIC. Acharya was a government nominee in the project and had full knowledge of what was happening. Stiill, he has not taken any action. Why has he not taken the matter to the notice of the APIC Board? Questioned the Solicitor General. He has suggested that the government should take criminal action against alll those responsible for the loss incurred by the APIIC.

The cases of Sri Lakshmi and Acharya should serve as eye-openers for the officers who bend, to serve their political bosses and not the people. They should bear it in mind that if they serve the people instead of the politicians, they would never face such predicaments.

Even if they overstep their authority for a public cause, no one would find fault with them.