Ribeiro was speaking on the `Demoralised bureaucracy - a threat to national integrity' organised by the Sanskritik Gaurav Pratishthan at the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics. The Pratishthan opened its Pune Chapter.

He pointed out that the bureaucracy was too bloated at the moment and hoped that the new government would ensure that it was cut down to size. A lot of disgruntled people in the service weaken the fabric, the supercop said further citing instances of the apathetic attitude of the Maharashtra government.

Politicians have only one weapon - that is the instrument of appointments and transfers - which they can use to control the bureaucrats, Ribeiro said. He was quick to point out however that bureaucrats should not forget that they were the servants of the people and not just ministers.

There have been lot of attempts to change the mindset of the bureaucracy where they believe they are the sons-in-law of the government. Bureaucrats should treat the people like equals, the supercop insisted while calling for more transparency in government work. People should come together and demand their rights, Ribeiro said.

Founder-Director of Symbiosis, Dr S B Mujumdar emphasised that there was no future for a nation which had a rotten educational system.He called for improvements in the education system to give forth honest and upright bureaucrats.

Former bureaucrat V P Rane who presided over the function failed to understand the frustration among bureaucrats specially when they enjoyed various privileges and had a distinct status. They could not be touched or punished unless the government transferred them, Rane said adding that a true bureaucrat should not be affected by any kind of posting he gets.

While he said that the civil service was at the receiving end, Rane also made a case of how civil servants at most times prefer to be at the receiving end. There is a need for them to come together as a class and institutionalise the system to fight against injustice and realise that they have a role to play, he added.