Murder in Kasauli

The senseless murder of a government official supervising a demolition drive at “Chhota Shimla” has sufficiently perturbed the Supreme Court to seek adequate security to officers enforcing the writ of the state. Indeed civil administration officials are helpless if they are held at gunpoint or, as in this case even worse, for carrying out orders from the authorities without adequate deterrence. The apex court’s agitation has to be seen from the context that the alleged killer had the latitude to carry out the murder in the presence of police officials. But to be fair to the Himachal police, this was an out-of-the blue incident, for which it was caught completely unawares and unprepared.

More than providing more police force, the closure of two unaddressed questions can provide a way out of the unending cycle of illegal constructions and demolitions. In a country where the ease of doing business is for the well-connected, the lay person will be tempted to cut corners and in the process, posit himself against the due process of law. A similar tragedy is being played out in Delhi, and doubtless other places as well, where the authorities looked the other way when unauthorised business establishments were set up or expanded. The demolition orders destroy the livelihood of the ordinary people but the officials under whose watch these clearly-visible encroachments were carried out have managed to go scot-free, whether it is Delhi, Kasauli or elsewhere.

 The second issue is the lack of imagination in local governments that has led to acute concentration of opportunities. For ages, Himachal has preened itself on the strength of a handful of hill stations and all of them are groaning under the pressure of tourists. Illegal constructions have naturally sprung up to cater to the expansion of demand and Kasauli is no exception. There will be no difficulty in implementing the apex court’s concern over the lack of adequate security to civil officials, but to nip the problem in the bud, the real need is to address the issues of preemption and diffusion of entrepreneur opportunities.