Chennai: The bureaucrats of the rank and file of state secretariat on Thursday woke up to the news of shocking posters having come up across the city alleging a Rs10,000 crore scam by 12 senior IAS officers, including the chief secretary K. Gnanadesikan, the environment secretary Hans Raj Verma and Elcot’s managing director Atul Anand.
The posters were put up at bus stands, railway stations and at prominent traffic intersections connecting arterial roads. Three huge flex banners with mug shots of IAS officers were also put up at Tambaram market, Irumbuliyiur junction and near Pallavaram inviting curious onlookers and disrupting traffic. Both the posters and banners put up by Makkalseithimayiyam.com screamed ‘scam’, but the credibility factor was very low as the ‘scurrilous’ posters just carried the pictures of IAS officers with a headline screaming Rs 10,000 crore scam.
“It is unethical, unfair. Such character assassination is condemnable. On behalf of Tamil Nadu IAS association, we condemn this unfair practice and there is no basis for these allegations,” said K. Rajaraman, secretary, Tamil Nadu IAS officers Association. This is not news or an expose and this only casts a slur on the character of officers and we will look in to the issue”, the official said.
When contacted V. Anbhazagan, editor, Makkalseithimaiyam.com, said 1,400 posters were printed and pasted across the city. Three huge flex banners were also put up to expose the officers. When asked, why a select few officers were targeted in their campaign, he said, the top 12 have been covered in the first campaign and more exposes were on the way.
To a query about the posters lacking credibility and being put up without substantiating any facts and merely defaming officers and violating journalistic ethics, he said that his website has been periodically exposing the errant officers. “Last month, we had published a book with government orders and department circulars as proof. In case, if there are any legal issues or defamation suits filed, we are ready to handle the issue legally”, he quipped.
Meanwhile, several senior IAS officers termed the posters outrageous and unethical. “There are corrupt scribes and pseudo journalists, who frequent the power corridors of the secretariat for contracts and transfers. When such obligations are not attended to the officer becomes corrupt”, rued an IAS officer. In the past six months, at least three journalists, mostly from unknown publications, approached me for transfers, but I turned them away discouraging them,” he said.
“Will such websites put posters exposing the police IPS officers or judicial fraternity, they will be dealt in a different manner. Just because a few IAS officers align with political parties for short term gains the IAS fraternity is being defamed today by an unethical group,” said another senior IAS officer.The police and the local bodies have powers to remove posters and banners that are put up without permission.
Our association president PWC Davidar, is out of station and we will take up the issue with our seniors”, the official added. Most of the IAS officers requested not to be quoted saying that reacting to the posters would be beneath their dignity.
“Those who want to expose officers can lodge a complaint or approach the court in case of corruption. Putting up posters is an ugly trend. The officers also have a family and a social life and this is a cheap publicity stunt,” said an official with department of information and public relations.
