The civil services and the armed forces are legacies of the British rule in India, however modified they may be from their original versions. This article is based on some assumptions I am making. If I am wrong please feel free to correct me.
For many years Indians were not allowed into the civil services. In the armed forces also Indians were taken into the jawan ranks and the officers were primarily Britishers. So when we consider the erstwhile officers in the civil service or the armed forces there had to be distinctions between the sahibs and the natives. This probably explains the (extravagant?) facilities enjoyed by the officers whether it be in terms of accommodation and transport or attendant servants.
Now 65 years after independence we are still following the same practices. I met a jawan on a train once. He was complaining how tough life was for the average jawan. Refer to this article also. A little while back I believe there were reports of police constables being used by their seniors for household chores. Giving good facilities for the officers is one matter, dehumanising others is a separate matter. Take the instance of accommodation. In lots of places defence officers stay in apartments in their enclaves. Why can't the same model be replicated for the civil services also? Take Lutyens's Delhi for instance. Each MP has a huge bungalow. Why can't these people be shifted into 3 or even 4 bed-roomed apartments? Give them serviced apartments if the situation demands so. Imagine the amount of real estate that will be freed up either for commercial development or for any other purposes! Even if corrupt public servants eat up a part of this there will still be a lot of land which can be used profitably.
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