Graft Epidemic in J&K | Corruption cancer metastasises

Srinagar, June 30:  The scourge of corruption continues to plague government departments, impeding effective public service delivery.

In just the last month, seven officials were caught red-handed accepting bribes in Jammu and Kashmir, which is feared to be merely the tip of the iceberg.

Complaints have poured in from the public, particularly regarding departments that directly interface with citizens such as construction permitting and utilities. However, many remain hesitant to officially report corruption cases to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

"It is virtually impossible to get any work done in government offices here without greasing officials' palms," rued one local businessman who was forced to abandon plans to construct a commercial complex. "Despite completing all formalities, officials created roadblocks just to extract a bribe from me. When I refused to pay, I had to give up the project."

The alarming levels of graft are highlighted by recent incidents such as the arrest of a Station House Officer caught taking an Rs 8 lakh bribe on May 25. Just two days later, a cashier with the Kashmir Power Development Corporation was nabbed accepting Rs 9,000 as a bribe.

While the ACB has initiated numerous trap cases, anti-corruption activists allege this only scratches the surface. They have urged the administration to undertake systematic reforms and stricter accountability measures to root out deeply entrenched corrupt practices crippling governance in the UT.

"Corruption has become a cancer severely compromising the government's ability to serve the people of Kashmir," said a civil society member. "Without a sustained zero-tolerance crackdown at all levels, public trust will only continue eroding further."

The menace of corruption appears deeply entrenched in Jammu and Kashmir, as evidenced by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) catching 136 government officials red-handedly accepting bribes between 2019 and 2022. Srinagar district topped the list with 51 such trap cases, likely due to the concentration of the civil secretariat and other key offices there. Across J&K, the ACB registered a staggering 1,600 corruption cases in 2022 alone, with 1,001 charge-sheeted so far. It has roped in central agencies like the ED and CBI to tackle high-profile cases. However, the conviction rate remains abysmally low - only 78 officials were convicted from 2010-2023, while courts acquitted 156 during this period.

According to officials, the low punishment encourages a graft culture, with data revealing more government employees indulging in malpractices for illegal enrichment.

A top anti-corruption official urged citizens to actively report instances of bribery to help curb this pernicious practice. He stated that "government officials are paid salaries to carry out their mandated duties for the public. However, an insidious 'chai culture' of graft has become entrenched, where officials expect illicit payments even for performing their routine responsibilities."

The official emphasised that it is the civic duty of residents to complain about any demands for bribes by government servants formally. Only by breaking this vicious cycle of corruption through stringent action against reported cases can this deeply rooted culture of graft be dismantled.