Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while inaugurating the state-level Taluk Adalat in Kozhikode warned that no mercy will be shown to employees who are caught in corruption. People will be treating this warning as a joke thinking, 'We have heard this many times before.' Any service from the government belongs to the citizens, but those who are supposed to provide it seem to think otherwise, no matter what government office one goes to. How many people will be ready to enter government offices with a sense of entitlement even after three-quarters of a century since the country became independent? It is not necessary to describe the position of the common people who have to stand like a beggar before the officer who has to accept his application.

The Chief Minister reminds us that those who come to the government offices are not begging for mercy, whenever he gets a chance. It was just repeated in the Adalat ceremony in Kozhikode. Adalats and file settlement yajnas are necessary only when files are pending and not settled. Behind every application, there will be a humane life and the longer the application is pending there will be a family who would suffer the burden. It is natural that there are some among the employees who are not interested in understanding this. The government tries hard to make such people interested in service. However, remedial measures such as adalats are often required, due to the reluctance of a faction.

It is not easy to make government service corruption free. Even those who earn huge salaries show corruption and it is only when the elite are caught that it makes news. Thiruvananthapuram received the highest number of applications among taluk-level adalats and most of them are related to local bodies. The three-tier panchayat raj system, which was conceived to provide better services to the people, often becomes a burden to them. Examples of this can be pointed out in the state in the recent past. Not only is there a delay in the services to be received from the local bodies, but the cost of it is also rising enormously.

Government officials have service organizations based on the different parties they support. Their annual meetings come up with valuable suggestions to bring the civil service closer to the people. Service organizations can be the biggest driving force to prevent corruption and increase efficiency. Unfortunately, the color of the flag often has the final say on whether corrupt individuals should be punished or not. Actions against corrupt persons should not be politically biased. When that happens, the number of corrupt people will increase in the service like it is a competition. A decent living wage is ensured in government service these days. No kindness should be shown to those who are not content with that and demand bribes in return for their service. There will be full support of the people for the related measures.