Letter to the Editor, Times of India, 13.05.2000

Yesterday the Supreme Court slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Delhi government for failing to clean up the Yamuna. Day before yesterday Delhi government announced its "new" slum policy which reiterated Delhi's "old" slum policy wherein land owning agencies have to pay for slum clearance from their land, partly as a penalty for failing to protect it from encroachments. The principle of penalising government for failures to deliver in public interest is all very well. But one question bothers me. Are these penalties paid out of salaries and perks of erring government servants or out of public funds? Presumably the latter. In which case, is the public not being penalised for its interest not having been served? Is this not tantamount to punishing the victim?

Gita Dewan Verma, New Delhi