Bureaucracy seems to have collapsed: HC

Observing that the bureaucracy in Karnataka appears to have “collapsed” as the applications by citizens have been kept pending for years, the Karnataka High Court on Thursday advised the State government to get its act together to prevent its administration from becoming a laughing stock. A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice H.G. Ramesh and Justice P.S. Dinesh Kumar made these observations orally during the hearing of a petition, which complained of non-execution of a supplementary mining lease deed since 2013 despite renewal of mining lease for the next 10 years. It was also said in the petition that the formality of executing a supplementary lease deed was not done despite making a representation in 2016. “We are seeing this every day. We have seen applications pending since 2012, 2013… Why are people being forced to approach court? It is an embarrassment to you [the government]. They [bureaucrats] are getting their salaries and are literate. Why are the applications kept pending for years…,” observed the acting Chief Justice He further observed, “This situation makes us think that the bureaucracy in Karnataka has collapsed. Don’t become a laughing stock…”, while advising the State to act to remedy the situation. Earlier, hearing a PIL petition seeking a direction for declaring Kembhavi as taluk headquarters in Vijayapura district, the Bench expressed its displeasure with officials for not giving proper and timely instructions to the government counsel in matters pending for adjudication in the court. The Bench, on Wednesday, had taken serious note of the delay in consideration of a representation, submitted by a group of residents against construction of a steel bridge in Bengaluru, by the Additional Chief Secretary of Urban Development Department despite lapse of the deadline of two months given by the court in August this year.