Trap of Uncertainty and Segregation of Responsibility : Citizens?
None of us are above the uncertainty. Any fortuitousness can happen with us anytime. One example, faced by my friends :
Just one week earlier, there happened an unexpected incident in Science Lab, Dhanmondi , Dhaka. Four people, two of whom was my friend stucked in lift of Aarong due to disconnection of electricity . It was 9:30 PM then. When no one of the authority of ‘ Aarong ‘ helped them. My friend called at 999 (the National Emergency Service) and was able to talk with fire brigade who assured them that they would do their best . When 30 minutes passed and yet the Fire Bridge did not respond , they again called the brigade and that time , they replied with sorrow because this is the job of Electricity Board so they had to seek help from Bangladesh Power Development Board, Dhaka . Without losing hope, one of them managed the number of electricity board but after hearing everything they said Science Lab goes under Dhanmondi Section so they should have called there . This time they became really desperated as they all were getting suffocated . They called the Dhanmondi office . Dhanmondi Sectional officer said , “ Science Lab goes under Azimpur, Call there ". The bureaucrats under Azimpur suggested to call Jigatola saying Science Lab doesn’t goes under Azimpur . It was 10:45 PM already . Finding no linings , One of them posted a status in facebook seeking help and the friends somehow managed to rescue them from the horrible squad at 11 : 10 PM . They filed a complain against the authority of Aarong and the owner of the building, No — 655, in Dhanmondi Model Thana.
They were stuck in the elevator for about two hours . What if there were a new born child ? What if there were pregnant women or people who have respiratory problems? Do the lives of people in our country have no value?
I am not necessarily sure, I am walking through the right route or not as I am going to relate my elaborated incident with Weber’s Ideal Bureaucracy’s principle of ‘ Specialization of tasks ‘ -
Where he emphasised on specialization of tasks based on competencies , efficiency and functional specializations . According to him , In an ideal bureaucracy, every employee will have a specific place within the organisation and expected to solely focus on his/her area of expertise . Going beyond one’s responsibilities and taking on tasks of colleagues is not permitted within a bureaucracy.
If we focus on the struggle of my friends -
a / When my friend called 999 which is our National Emergency Service Hotline , committed to provide three urgent emergency services like fire service, police service and ambulance service, even if the fire brigade was available there who assured them of doing their best, then what restricted them further to say no to my friends? Couldn’t there be an internal communication between the fire brigade and electricity board ?
b / When the officers recruited under electricity board in distinct areas were refusing to help only because of the spot doesn’t belong to them , was not it because of the specialization of tasks where service providers of one area are not afraid of accountability for being delayed in providing service as their area was distinct ?
I think, within the bureaucracy the specialization of tasks makes the path of any service to slow down and disrupts people’s access to uninterrupted services.
