"This is a revolutionary step towards curbing corruption" - Anjani Kumar Singh, official in Bihar's government
PATNA, India (TrustLaw) - Authorities in eastern India are confiscating the homes of corrupt officials and turning them into schools in an attempt to stamp out graft and solve the region's lack of educational infrastructure, a senior government official said.
Bihar state last week opened its second school in the seized two-storey, 16-room residence of a former treasury official who was found guilty of amassing assets worth over five million rupees ($95,000) disproportionate to his income.
"This is a revolutionary step towards curbing corruption," said Anjani Kumar Singh, principal secretary of Bihar’s human resources department.
"The message is loud and clear ... that the bungalows, mansions or houses of the corrupt officials built with ill-gotten money will be confiscated by the government today or tomorrow," he said.
Bihar is considered to be one of India's poorest and most under-developed states. According to a recent report 70 percent of the region's rural households often go to bed hungry, forced to skip meals due to poverty.
Yet, the state -- like many regions in the country -- has a reputation for widespread government corruption. However, in recent years, Bihar has been touted as an example of how India can turn away from corrupt, caste-based politics and promote infrastructure and development, as well as provide security.
ANTI-GRAFT MEASURES
Under its chief minister, Nitish Kumar, a former engineer, Bihar has seen several road projects which have helped boost economic growth to an average 11.3 percent annually between 2004 and 2009, compared with 3.5 percent annually over the previous five years.
The authorities have also set in motion anti-graft measures, such as setting up a special police team and courts to deal with corruption cases. Last month, they began posting video-clips of corrupt officials seen taking bribes on youtube to act as a deterrent.
Authorities say their latest strategy of converting seized homes into schools started in September when a primary school for children from families living below the poverty line was opened.
The three-storey building was once owned by a senior civil servant in the irrigation department who was found guilty of amassing assets such as gold jewellery and land worth over 14 million rupees ($265,000).
The second school, which opened last Friday in a posh suburb of Patna, Bihar's main city, is a residential school for girls from the marginalised low-caste, or Dalit, community.
"The functioning of schools from the houses of the corrupt will not only educate the unprivileged students but will also create awareness about graft among the next generation. This will indeed inspire them to be good citizens," said Singh of Bihar’s human resources department.
Officials say there is a desperate need for school buildings, particularly in urban areas, where the authorities are often forced to run schools from temples or community centres. In Patna district, 361 out of a total 3,321 schools do not have their own buildings.
The corruption trials of more than a dozen other government officials in the state, including Bihar's former director general of police, are currently underway and it is likely, if found guilty, their homes will be seized.
(Writing by Nita Bhalla)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
