Vigilance damaging public sector, says Air India chief

Air India chief Ashwani Lohani on Saturday made a veiled attack on the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for a CBI probe against the national carrier.

Lohani said the “omnipresent shadow of vigilance” is causing “maximum damage” to the public sector.

Lohani’s strong words in a blog post — ‘Pinning the executive down’ — came a day after the CBI registered a case on a reference from the CVC for procedural irregularities in the procurement of software worth Rs 225 crore in 2011.

Without naming the CVC, he said, “I am unable to appreciate the basic premise that we require a non-executive to keep an eye on every single aspect of the working of the executive and that we should have checks and balances that are highly tilted in favour of the checks.”

Starting his blog with “those who idle shall commit no mistake”, Lohani said whether the “variety of watchdogs” were able to reduce the levels of corruption is a matter of debate, but the “fact remains that they have been successful in stifling deliverance almost everywhere”. He said the ever-lasting shadow of vigilance and investigative agencies over the “minutest” processes undertaken by the executive is “one single factor that has caused the maximum damage to the public sector”.

Echoing the executive’s frustration, he said commercial organisations need to be swift in decision-making processes to face competition from the private sector.

“...but how the hell and also why the hell would an executive take a decision if he knows that it would be dissected in hindsight, motives would be ascribed even where there are none and he may even face a life of ignominy for a long time later, if the investigative agencies so desire,” he said.

Describing the lodging of the case a “shock”, he said there could be “procedural lacunae”, but there is “no apparent malafide” in it. The investigation is bound to “hit the company hard” as it would further strengthen the belief that “following processes is important and deliverance can take a backseat”. Lohani said “merely following the laid-down system guarantees personal safety is sadly becoming the norm” in the public sector.