OPINION: SEEDS OF CORRUPTION – Technocratic decisions for political objectives

Forwarded by Gorkhs Daju

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
By S.L. RAO
(Forwarded by Gorkhs Daju)

Government decisions were based on deep-rooted leftwing ideology, lack of foresight or practical experience, and self-enrichment.

They have led to consequences that the nation has suffered for years. With difficulty it is trying to reverse some.

Jawaharlal Nehru’s overwhelming dominance over Indian public opinion for most of his time in power muted any opposition to his policies. Policies might have been better with debate and dissent.

Jawaharlal Nehru in Kalimpong (Photo from Kalimpong Info)

Some of them were non-alignment in foreign policies; the desire to acquire Kashmir; taking the Kashmir issue with Pakistan to the United Nations; industrialization as the key to take India out of poverty; more emphasis on higher and professional education than on schooling; priority given to curative health over public health (safe drinking water, sanitation, and so on); dependence on an inherited administrative service for execution of all government policies; unlike with the defence forces, not insulating police functioning from political interference; making government-owned enterprises subservient to the civil services; not setting standards of accountability and penalties for non-performance on government functionaries and so on.

In recent years, adverse consequences or present-day irrelevance of these policies have sapped the country’s strength. Many are being questioned and reworked, though there is resistance.

I think that the seeds for large-scale corruption in the government were sown when Nehru did not insist on strict penalties for venal officials and politicians (unlike Singapore).

The root of the problem of corruption was Gandhi asking the first Congress ministers to live simply and serve the people. Nehru in response got all ministers to “voluntarily” cut salaries. This sowed the seeds for many of them earning much more by illegal means ostensibly to feed visiting constituents, fight elections, contribute to the party, and also build post-retirement estates.

Citu - CPIM Procession

At Independence, the best organized among labour were the industrial unions, controlled by different political parties. Media and elected representatives of every political party gave trade union concerns an importance out of proportion to their share in the population or the economy.

Agricultural policies were founded on the need to ensure that the urban industrial worker got foodgrains at low prices. The plight of farmers and landless labourers depending for incomes on agricultural produce was ignored.

Distortions in agricultural policies today are the results. We pretend to support the farmer through minimum support prices that are the same as procurement prices; fertilizer subsidies that actually mostly benefit the fertilizer manufacturers; and declining public investments in real terms in building assets for agriculture.

Distorted policies and inadequate investment have lowered agricultural productivity and impoverished the farmer. Farmers have reacted by substantially increasing production of horticulture, milk, and so on.

The Food Corporation of India is believed to be the most corrupt among public enterprises. Many dip into its revenues — politicians, FCI officers and other intermediaries. Some farmers pay bribes to procurement officers. Many FCI officers pay more for lower quality, showing it as higher quality.

The Money Bug - vs - Morality ?!!

There is also much illegal income from contracts for transportation, handling, storage and so on of the procured grain. For years now, governments have ignored suggestions to change from physical procurement and delivery to, instead, the giving of cash or “stamps” to farmers (or poor households) who have to be supported. Alternatives have yet to be even tested.

In many cities, ration cards meant for the very poor to get grains at cheap prices are in excess of populations. Many deserving poor do not have cards.

Bogus ration cards enable the transferring of substantial quantities of cheap foodgrain for sale in the open markets. Various intermediaries rip off public money during procurement, handling, transportation, storage, identification of the poor, and distribution of the cheap grains. Vested interests prevent changing a proven inefficient and corrupt system to the detriment of the poor and the farmer. No alternative is in place.

Kerosene is given to the poor at very cheap rates at government cost. Repeated studies show that at least 40 per cent of such kerosene is diverted into the market, and adulterated with diesel by truck operators who make extra profits. No alternative to physical delivery of ration kerosene has been permitted by politicians (many own carriers) and administrators.

Similarly, lower priced fertilizers for farmers to improve their earnings mostly benefit the manufacturers. There is no sign of government finding alternatives. Misguided politicians thought they would get farmer votes by pricing urea especially low. While urea is used most, it has to be balanced, depending on the soil and the crop, with phosphatic and potassic fertilizers. These are expensive. Farmers overuse urea and damage land and crops. Now the government is trying to restore the price balance but may not undo the damage of years of fertilizer imbalances.

Janta Dal Industries Minister George Fernandez

George Fernandes as industries minister in the Janata government reserved over 800 products for small-scale industry. He did not know that industry is a spectrum from tiny to the largest industries that exist to satisfy market demands.

They succeed when they are efficient, produce high quality products, service customers to their satisfaction, and meet market needs.

Reservations placed a heavy burden on Indian industry and exports because of higher costs and poorer quality. Studies showed that reservations benefited only the well-placed producers. The majority of small-scale producers did not get any advantage from reservation. In recent years, governments are gradually removing reservations. But India lost out in competitiveness.

Many labour-intensive industries like garments, leather, toys, were reserved for the small-scale industrial sector. India, with similar advantages to China in these industries, is a small exporter of these while China dominates world markets.

Chinese factories employ thousands, while Indian factories are small in scale because of reservations. Gradual rolling back of this policy is inevitable to counter vested interests that include politicians.

Indian Garment Industry

Indian labour laws emphasize employment irrespective of the viability of the industry. So employment cannot be reduced if markets go against a product. Employers are unwilling to employ large numbers, fearing unaffordable wage bills when demand declines.

A social security system should have been created to protect such displaced workers instead of making the employer bear a burden he cannot afford.

Every ministry has public enterprises under its control. Ministers and officials avail themselves of many perquisites from these and are the super-bosses of public enterprises, with major decisions requiring their approvals. Disinvestment and privatization have now begun, albeit slowly.

The Indian stock markets have witnessed major share price fluctuations. Foreign institutional investors sending funds from Mauritius are exempt from capital gains tax and send money in and out as they book profits.

Money Markets

This results in large inflows and outflows of foreign exchange, making for fluctuations in the exchange value of the rupee. Mauritius is the largest foreign investor in India, said to be the repository for politicians and others sending funds by the havala route, laundered through the stock markets. No government has taken action.

For some, the motivation behind power is the wish to do well for the nation. For others it is to acquire wealth. There are too many ministries at the Centre and states. Subjects are broken into components to create more ministerial berths for politicians.

There is little coordination and holistic decisionmaking. Interrelationships between components and subjects are neglected; for example, health (spread among the ministries of health and family welfare, chemicals and fertilizers and water), or energy, (spread among coal, oil and gas, power, renewable energy and atomic energy).

Sonia Gandhi, all ears - understands ?!!

The country has paid a high price in poor health status, deaths, fake drugs, and so on, and half the population is without safe and affordable energy in order to create jobs for politicians.

In India, politicians aided by the bureaucracy have held the country back by thoughtless decisions based on poor grassroots knowledge and poor implementation. In many sectors we need technocratic decisions to implement political objectives.

What we have is politicized implementation of unclear political objectives.

(The author, S.L. RAO,  is former director-general, National Council for Applied Economic Research)

CRIME EXPOSE: Coal-runners find protectors in khaki – and ‘mud coal’ for Darjeeling National Heritage Toy Train ?!!

GREAT COAL ROBBERY - Corrupt Bengal ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
BY KINSUK BASU

Barkolaghat (Birbhum), April 18: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has told his police to crack down on coal thieves and those who buy their loot, but his forces in Birbhum and Burdwan are offering safe passage to consignments stolen from the government’s own mine at Borjore in Birbhum.

After carrying an expose on the daylight theft of coal from the Borjore mine — a joint venture between the state and the EMTA Group — The Telegraph tracked the supply chain of the stolen coal and found out how the police were facilitating the movement.

“This supply chain will break the moment the cops stop co-operating with us. So, we do everything to keep the police happy,” said an operator who facilitates movement of the stolen coal and is one of the many cogs in the wheel.

National Heritage Toy Trains in the Docks - Neglect for corrupt profits ?!!

After plundering coal from the mine’s dump yard, villagers bring their booty in carts or bicycles to illegal dump yards at Barkolaghat, Bhimgarh, Sahapur, Kendgoria and Metela along the Birbhum-Burdwan border.

Depending on the demand-supply situation, the price of coal gets determined before the operators seal the deal with the buyers and despatch the consignments. In the past few months, the price of stolen coal has varied between Rs 900 and Rs 1,500 a tonne.

“A tonne of coal from Borjore (officially) costs around Rs 1,400, but it is a captive mine for the government’s power plants and so other buyers can’t access supply from this mine unless it is stolen,” said a mining industry insider.

Truckloads of stolen coal from the illegal dump yards reach end-users across Bengal and the neighbouring states as the police allow hassle-free movement.

While taking stock of the power crisis in Bengal — aggravated by coal shortage — Bhattacharjee had last week asked home secretary Ardhendu Sen to take stern action against the looters. (and before – head buried in the coal ?!!)

But while tracking the movement of trucks along the Birbhum-Burdwan border, The Telegraph found that the Writers’ Buildings decision had a long way to trickle down.

“The looting at Borjore has stopped as the police have stopped loading of coal from the mine. But stolen coal from the illegal dump yards is moving freely,” said a senior official of Bengal EMTA Coal Mines.

The stolen coal consign- ments reach the end-users primarily through two routes: the trucks hit National Highway 60, if they go through Birbhum, or National Highway 2 in Burdwan after crossing the Ajoy.

A senior police officer said they pass through the areas of at least eight police stations — Suri, Dubrajpur, Khoirasole, Pandaveswar and Kankortola in Birbhum and Asansol (North), Baramoni and Jamuria in Burdwan — before hitting the highways.

“We have arrangements with the police. They don’t create any problems either for the buyers who buy coal in large volumes or the villagers who supply the coal to the dump yards,” said an operator who organises trucks for the buyers.

This newspaper had earlier reported that villagers buy Rs 100 “coupons” from local police stations to ferry the looted coal to either their villages or the dump yards.

But the rates are much higher when consignments from the dump yards leave for the end-users. Police stations issue “pads” to a select few operators against the payment of around Rs 1,500. The operators then sell the pads — a piece of paper with the operator’s name scribbled on it — to truck drivers at Rs 2,000 each.

“Five of us get around 150 pads issued from the police station every day,” said an operator who has his way with the cops at Khoirasole police station, adding that each night they deliver a list of the vehicles carrying the stolen coal.

Birbhum superintendent of police R.N. Mukherjee refused to admit any police role in the movement of the stolen coal. “We keep a strong vigil,” he said.

But on the night of April 17, this correspondent spotted policemen on night patrol checking truck numbers and tallying them with the list of vehicles that had bought pads from operators to carry the stolen coal consignments.

“First, we need to buy pads from the operators. Then we have to pay around Rs 500 to the cops on night patrol,” said a truck driver on his way to NH34.

Although stolen coal is despatched through the day, transportation in bigger volumes begins at night. Sponge iron factories and brick kilns dotting the region are among the clients.

The mushrooming of illegal sponge iron units and brick kilns has given a fresh impetus to the looting at Borjore and illegal mining in the Raniganj-Asansol belt.

“On a peak day, 100-120 trucks use Barkolaghat before hitting NH2. It’s not coal from Borjore alone, coal from illegal mines also finds its way to the dump yards here and so the number of buyers is huge,” explained one of the operators.

RESCUE DISASTER: Rescue worker killed, two persons hangs on atop truck for dear life, finally rescued by Army Rafts – where were the Rafting Companies ?!!

SUSPENSE & TRAGEDY on Teesta at Rangpo (Photo Voice of Sikkim)

 

From Sikkim Express
By Sanjay Agarwal  

RANGPO, April 17: A powerful spell of late afternoon rainfall today not only exposed the awful drainage system of the Capital but also killed a braveheart while trying to save three persons marooned atop a truck at Rangpo River, whose levels had rose considerably due to a sudden flood crashing down the Rongli-Rhenock hills.  

Hero Bhola Tamang - killed only because negligent doctor did not have a clue on how to perform "mouth-to-mouth, artificial respiration" ?!!

 

Aged around 40 years, Bhola Tamang had been swept away by the raging Rangpo River after he and others had successfully rescued a stranded driver from the river.  

Four persons had been caught by the sudden flood while they were engaged in separate activities along the Rangpo River. Heavy rainfall in the Rongli-Rhenock streams trigged the sudden flood downstream at Rangpo River.  

A driver, his helper and a labourer were loading sand in their truck while another driver was washing his Tata Sumo vehicle when the river levels rose suddenly at around 5 pm.  

One person engaged with the truck managed to swim to safety while the remaining three persons could not do anything but climb on top of the truck for safety as the river levels continue to rise and flow in a faster current. The Tata Sumo was quickly submerged by the river.  

Their cries alerted the local residents who along with the local police teamed up to form a rescue team and launched a rescue operation despite fading light and continuous rainfall.  

By the time, the rescue operation was launched it was already 6:30 pm, dark and dangerous.  

The driver of the Tata Sumo vehicle was pulled through the fast flowing river by rescue people who had a degree of protection through ropes tied on their backs with the other volunteers anchoring the rope at the other end.  

The fortunate driver was pulled to safety but Tamang was not as fortunate as the rope did not hold on and he was swept away by the river.  

Tamang was pulled out by other rescue workers and was immediately taken to the Rangpo Primary Health Centre but here also, no doctor was immediately available. The doctor came after half an hour which triggered a furious reaction from the anxious people.  

Tamang was given some first aid by the doctor and referred to Singtam District Hospital but it was already too late as he died enroute to the hospital. (?!!*)  

Meanwhile, the other two remaining persons are still precariously safe on top of the truck at the moment of going to print but the river level has risen to the bonnet level.  

Efforts are on to save them but the darkness and rainfall is preventing from any concrete measure to be taken. Life jackets are being managed to rescue them and prevent another tragedy.  

The rescue workers are in touch with the stranded people through mobile phones.  

Powerful lights have also been stationed at the river end but at the moment, the rescue workers are helpless against the fury of the river.  

Though they are safe at the moment and we are trying our best to save them, it will be difficult if it continues to rain in the up hills of Rangpo River, said the rescue workers.  

THE TELEGRAPH ADDS  

River Swallows Saviour (?!!*)  

Foolhardy Tourists on Sunday raft on the Rangpo at Melli, 12km from the spot where one of the rescuers drowned - Wrong rafting times for Rafting Companies & no Rescue Efforts ?!! (Photo by Prabin Khaling)

 

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT   

Gangtok, April 18: A 40-year-old man drowned in a tributary of the Teesta in East Sikkim last evening while trying to rescue three persons marooned atop a truck stuck in the river that rose suddenly following heavy rain.  

Three men were loading sand on the truck and another was cleaning his Tata Sumo in the Rangpo, when the water level began rising around 5pm.  

One person engaged in the sand loading swam to safety, while the remaining three climbed atop the truck. The river swelled further and the Tata Sumo was soon submerged in the water.  

Around 6.30pm, despite the heavy shower and fading light, residents of Rangpo, located 44km from here, swung into action to save the three sitting atop the truck. Rangpo police also joined the operation.  

The driver of the Tata Sumo was pulled through the fast flowing river by the rescuers who had a degree of protection with ropes tied around their waist. “But the rope around Bhola Tamang loosened and he was swept downstream,” said an officer of Rangpo police station.  

Tamang was pulled out of the water by other rescue workers and taken to the nearest hospital at Singtam, 12km away. He was declared dead on arrival by the hospital authorities.  

The other two, Dil Bahadur Gurung and Md Salim, hanged on for dear life even as the river rose to the bonnet of the truck.  

Around 10pm, army personnel arrived with a raft and the duo were safely brought to the riverbank.  

District collector, East, D Anandan told The Telegraph that compensation would be released to the family members of the deceased according to government rules once a report on the incident was submitted to him by the block officer concerned.  

The rain that lasted for hours triggered at least a dozen minor mud slides in Gangtok, some along the NH31A. However, no major damage has been reported and the debris has been removed.  

“We are on alert as the district has been experiencing heavy rains for the past few days. Quick Response Teams have been formed and a control room has been set up,” said Anandan.  

MEANWHILE  

Rains trigger major landslide at Pani House

Samrai Residency floods up - shoes all wet ?!!

 

From Sikkim Express
By Nirmal Mangar  

GANGTOK, April 17: Much ahead of the Monsoon, Gangtok is already reeling under the ipact of incessant rains and resultant landslides.  

The Gangtok traffic came to a stand still when a major landslide hit the road at Pani House this afternoon. The highway was blocked for several hours when a portion of the wall above Pani House came crashing down leaving hundreds of vehicle stranded off in the National Highway 31- A. It took almost an hour for Deorali OP Police and the local people to clear the debris for traffic.  

However, no human causalities were reported except for the minor damage of a Mahindra Bolero which was parked below the landslide area. Besides, the rainwater entered into one of the hotels located at Pani House leaving the owner and the staff panic-stricken.  

Flooded floors - inadequate drainage planning ?!! (Photo Voice of Sikkim)

 

“We were relieved as most of our guests had checked out this morning, otherwise the situation would have been worse,” said one of the staffs while speaking to SIKKIM EXPRESS. The residents also complained that the reckless dumping of mud at the construction site carried out above the road in Pani House has created severe problems for them.  

 “We request the concerned authority to put a stop to the illegal dumping of mud before the situation gets worse,” the residents added.  

On the same day, another minor landslide was reported at Nam-Nang. The heavy down pour also revealed the sorry state of drainage system in Gangtok. The water was seen overflowing from the drains all along the highway creating problems for pedestrians as well as vehicular traffic.

SIKKIM NEWS: Lok Sabha MP, PD Rai, to take up Gangtok Door Darshan issue with Centre

Sikkim Lok Sabha MP, PD Rai

From Sikkim Express

GANGTOK, April 17: Sikkim Lok Sabha member PD Rai today promised to take up the pending issue of Gangtok Door Darshan Kendra inauguration with the concerned Ministry at New Delhi.

“As far is the Door Darshan matter is concerned, I will certainly take it up with the concerned authority”, said Rai in a press meet today at his residence, Daragaon here.

The MP informed that he is a member of the Standing Committee of the Parliament to look into the demand for grants of the Ministries of Information Technology and Information & Broadcasting.

Since I am in the Standing Committee for looking into the demand for grants of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, I am confident to get a positive response, said Rai. He informed that he had sought complete details from the State Information and Public Relations department on the Gangtok Door Darshan issue.

The MP also informed that the State government has been pressing ahead with the Centre for expansion of trade items for the Nathu La border trade between Sikkim and Tibet Autonomous Region. The demand is under advance stage of consideration and we are hoping that something positive will come out, he said.

The border trade is scheduled to commence from May for this season upto November. Rai expressed his hopes that at least some amendments in the present list of items will be taken up.

Regarding the delay in the finalization of the Annual Plan for Sikkim, the MP pointed out the plan outlay for other States have not been similarly finalized by the Planning Commission.

The Annual Plans are based on the 13th Finance Commission which report has been recently tabled and now the Annual Plans for the States will be taken up gradually, he said. He added that Sikkim has made positive gain from the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission.

Rai was also confident that the Annual Plan of Sikkim for the year 2010-11 will be in the excess of Rs. 1000 crores. I think the Annual Plan for Sikkim will be finalized in the next two months, he said.

The MP also recounted his experiences in the Parliament during the recent tabling of the Union Budget which also saw a stormy passage of the controversial women reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha. Half the battle is won and now the Bill is to be placed in the Lok Sabha where the Bill is being opposed by several political parties, he said.

On asked whether the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party supports the Bill, the MP said: “SDF is with the UPA government and is 100 percent supportive of the undiluted Bill. Our SDF policy is always in the favour of the Bill”.

Regarding whether the vote of a single MP from Sikkim matters in the Parliament, Rai said that even a single vote counts. It is only one vote from Sikkim but definitely it counts and the ruling regime will have to bank on every vote, he said. The vote factor also depends on how we work with other MPs, he added.

Rai further informed that he has given priority to the education sector during the utilization of the MP local area developmental fund for Sikkim. An MP is allocated a sum of Rs. 2 crores per annum as local area development fund.

The MP is leaving for New Delhi tomorrow to participate in the second phase of the Budget session in the Lok Sabha.

Sikkim to get bonus for less fiscal deficit, says PD Rai

PD Rai gives press conference at his residence (Photo Sikkim Reporter)

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER
By A CHATTERJEE

Gangtok, April 17: Mr. P. D. Rai, Lok Sabha Member from Sikkim held a press conference at his residence here on Saturday, April 17, to acquaint the scribes of the ingoing in the current budget session in the Parliament and also to answer other queries.

Missing the Question Hour in Lok Sabha this time, the MP agreed to answer reporters’ questions first.

Asked whether the 13th Finance Commission recommendation to the Planning Commission for Sikkim offsets the drastic cut by the 12th Finance Commission, Mr. Rai said, “It has more than offset”.

Elaborating he said the Commission has duly credited achievements of the Sikkim Democratic Front government in the financial sector by way of revenue generation and lowering of fiscal deficit.

“The Commission has recommended a bonus of Rs.200 crore to Sikkim for bringing down fiscal deficit”, Mr. Rai informed.

To another question he said, the delay in finalization of the plan size this time is for all the States. It is mainly because the Finance Commission report came late, he said.

He gave an insight how the current Parliament session became stormy due to the stand of opposition parties and also some allies of UPA on issues like massacre of CRPF jawans by Maoists and others.

Regarding Women’s Reservation Bill he said “half the battle is won” as the Bill is passed in Rajya Sabha and “it will not lapse”.

Asked about the delay in commissioning Doordarshan station in Sikkim, Mr. Rai said, “I am a member of the Standing Committee which covers four Ministries including Information & Broadcasting; I will certainly talk to I & B Ministry on this pending demand of Sikkim”.

Regarding prospect of expanding Nathula trade basket by increasing the trade items, he said “the matter is under hot pursuit but the China-India relation is also a factor”.

Asked about his role in Gorkhaland demand of Darjeeling he said, “Personally I may have sympathy but as SDF MP I will act according to the policy of the party and its leader”.

ASESEUA stage Dharna against the shifting of STNM Hospital

All Sikkim Educated Self Employed & Un-employed Association (ASESEUA) staged Dharna in protest against the State Government’s plan for shifting the present Sir Thotub Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) to Sichey. (Photo Voice of Sikkim)

From Voice of Sikkim
By Sanjay Agarwal

Gangtok, April 17: All Sikkim Educated Self Employed & Un-employed Association (ASESEUA) staged Dharna in protest against the State Government’s plan for shifting the present Sir Thotub Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) to Sichey.

The Dharna was staged in front of at District Collectorate office in the Capital. The Association  were supported by the various political ally of the state of Sikkim and non-political bodies.

The ASESEUA President Nawin Kiran Pradhan, Vice President Mayalmit Lepcha speaking to the media told that the government’s decision on shifting the present STNM hospital will not just create a big trouble for the people of Sikkim but the poorer section of Sikkim’s society will face a grave concern.

Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM), Heritage Hospital of Sikkim, Gangtok - Chamling bent on removing all vestiges of Sikkim Heritage for personal gain ?!! (Photo Voice of Sikkim)

The STNM hospital is not just an ordinary hospital but many knots of emotional, historical, owness  is attached with the people of Sikkim.

The Hospital build during the Chogyal dynasty is one of the heritage historical structure of Sikkim which has been catering a service for the entire people of Sikkim since last 7-8 decades, so the government’s decision to a shift STNM to far location from the heart of the town will bring an unending trouble, said the association president, Pradhan.

The new location which government has selected for shifting is very far from the heart of the Gangtok town which may necessary give harassment to the poor people.

The association president Pradhan also stressed that instead of shifting the hospital to Sichey, the government should try to make use of available spaces in the present location of STNM surroundings which lies vacate.

He said today the Dharna was called in a peaceful manner no matter tomorrow the youths may come down to agitation and that day the association will not take any responsibility.

The Association also told to the press that appeal is being sent to Chief Minister, Health Minister and the Secretary to rethink over the matter of shifting heritage hospital to Sichey.

Sikkim Pradesh Congress Commitee (SPCC) President and Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, K.N Upreti, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Sikkim Unit President Padam Chettri, Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party (SHRP) President Dr AD Subba, Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) Convenor Tseten Tashi Bhutia, Matri Bhumi Suraksha Sanghatan member D.N Nepal along with other non-political bodies also affirmed their stand onto the ASESEUA movement today.

DISASTER ALERT: Cooking Gas transfer alert in Rupahar

Gas Cylinders - To be handled "very very" carefully, lest someday it blow up ?!!

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Raiganj, April 18: Around 3,000 people living along NH34 in Rupahar near here have been asked to move to safer locations and not to light a fire tomorrow when cooking gas from an overturned tanker will be shifted to another vehicle, reports our correspondent.

No vehicles will be allowed to pass through the area, 3km from Raiganj, and traffic will be regulated at different points of North Dinajpur from around 7am for the transfer.

“We have alerted the people in the area through loudspeaker today and asked the fire brigade to arrange for water,” said Sujit Ghosh, the inspector in-charge of Raiganj police. The tanker with 17,000kg LPG overturned in the morning. A team of experts from the Indian Oil Corporation along with an empty tanker will arrive for the operation which is expected to take 7-8 hours.

“We have asked the people not to panic. We will arrange for shelter and food for those who have nowhere to go,” said Birghoi gram panchayat pradhan Sajida Bibi.

DISASTER RELIEF: CPM Leaders flee villagers’ storm

Children salvaging books in Bairagipara - No roof & no tarpaulins, leaders running only to return for votes ?!! (Photo by Nantu Dey)

FROM THE TELEGRAPH CORRESPONDENT

Raiganj, April 18: Panchayat members of storm-hit North Dinajpur are fleeing from homeless villagers who are beating them up for relief that has not arrived in five days since the calamity left 42 dead and 1.5 lakh homeless.

Last night, a group thrashed the CPM panchayat member of Karandighi I, Manilal Singh, and local CPM leader Manik Das. Both of them have fled their homes since.

If relief minister Mortaza Hossain had faced angry villagers in Hemtabad block, 15km from here, yesterday, civil de- fence minister Srikumar Mukherjee and animal resource development minister Narayan Biswas encountered them today.

The CPM leader in charge of relief in the Karandighi panchayat samiti, Karuna Dasgupta, said it was not possible to distribute relief “to everybody all at once”. She said Singh and Das were punched and kicked and left with bleeding noses.

Other panchayat members like Tamu Biswas have chosen to play it safe. “More than 1,100 houses have been destroyed in my area and only 400 tarpaulin sheets have been distributed. I decided to leave home and stay with a relative as it began raining last evening,” said Biswas, a Forward Bloc member of Altapur I gram panchayat.

Fazlur Rahman, a Bloc member of the Lahutpara I gram panchayat in the same block, said: “My house was one of the few unscathed. I fear an attack if the villagers are forced to stay out in the open and brave the rain, so I fled.”

BENGAL POLITICS: CPM trouble in Salt Lake – and maybe everywhere else also ?!!

IN AND OUT AGAIN

 

FROM THE TELEGRAPH SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT  

Calcutta, April 18: The CPM chairman of Bidhan Nagar (Salt Lake) municipality today said he would not contest the May civic polls to protest the party’s decision not to allot him the ward he had contested five years ago.  

Biswajiban Majumdar vented his ire hours after the North 24-Parganas district CPM unit announced its candidates, replacing him with a Calcutta University teacher.  

Twenty-one municipalities, including Bidhan Nagar, are going to the polls in the district. Of the 518 wards in the 21 civic bodies, the Left has named candidates for 496. The rest have yet to be finalised.  

“I have my commitment to the people of Ward 15, from where I had won the last time. But the leadership has chosen someone else for my ward without consulting me. They are now offering me another ward. Why should I accept that? Am I a puppet that dances to the party bosses’ tune?” he asked.  

Ward 15 comprises parts of Karunamoyee and the EE and CJ blocks. Jyoti Bhusan Dutta has been nominated from the ward this time.  

The party has left Ward 3, which comprises the AL and BL blocks and a part of CJ, vacant for Majumdar.  

District CPM secretary Amitava Basu said: “We are still trying to persuade Biswajibanbabu to contest the polls. We don’t know about his grievances.”  

A CPM North 24-Parganas district secretariat member, Amitava Nandi, said Majumdar had not spoken about his grievances “when I personally spoke to him twice”.  

Majumdar slammed the leadership for not taking him into confidence while preparing the list of candidates. “Being the chairman of a municipality for five years, I should have been consulted. But they did not bother to do so.”  

Majumdar is known to have strained relations with former Dum Dum MP Nandi’s wife Ila, the vice-chairperson of the present board.  

The late Subhas Chakraborty’s brother-in-law, Nanda Bhattacharya, has also not been renominated. His ward — number five — has been reserved for a woman and Ila is contesting there.  

The candidate for another Bidhan Nagar ward — No. 12, comprising Labony — was not announced because front partner RSP has yet to decide its nominee.  

In the rest of North 24-Parganas, the CPM has denied tickets to the chairpersons of nine municipalities.  

“They were all above 70. So, we have replaced them by young and energetic people,” said district secretary Basu.

SPORTS & SPIRITUALITY: Day’s best catch, Dalai Lama in stadium at Dharamshala

Kings XI Punjab co-owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta with His Holiness The Dalai Lama at Sunday’s IPL match with the Chennai Super Kings in Dharamshala. (PTI)

FROM THE TELEGRAPH
BY ARCHIS MOHAN

Dharamshala, April 18: The gentler pace of Test cricket would perhaps suit the rhythms of life better in the hometown of the world’s most famous Buddhist monk.

But mad, bad IPL it was that today drew the Dalai Lama to Dharamshala’s picturesque new cricket stadium, along with several hundred Tibetans including monks, old and young.

Cricket’s latest colony at 5,000 feet was awash with red from afternoon. Red-robed monks mingled with King’s XI Punjab supporters in their red T-shirts on McLeodganj’s meandering main road. Their immediate quest: any mode of transport to the Dharamshala cricket stadium, 15km downhill.

Outside the stadium, queues of monks and ordinary Tibetans stood with their heads bowed as the Dalai Lama’s cavalcade passed by. It was as if the mere presence of their “Guruji” had sanctified the sport.

The spiritual leader, who had watched a Ranji Trophy game a few months ago in the stadium, sat through the T20 match, watching with rapt attention.

Nearly all the Tibetans to whom The Telegraph spoke said they were M.S. Dhoni fans — so they would have gone home very excited after the Chennai Super Kings skipper’s match-winning heroics. If a local cricket official is to be believed, even the Dalai Lama is a Dhoni fan.

The monk had told Yuvraj Singh yesterday that the only sport he had played was table tennis, once even with a Chinese Prime Minister.

Friday’s IPL match had appeared to confirm the received opinion that McLeodganj’s Tibetan community in exile cared more for football and basketball than for cricket. But today’s turnout gave a different picture.

The ticket prices, kept as low as Rs 125, would have helped because the Tibetan refugees are largely poor.

Tashi Phuntsok, who watched Friday’s game at the stadium but sacrificed today’s ticket for a monk friend, put things in perspective. “Friday was a working day. Today is a holiday for all of us, including the monks.”

Phuntsok claimed to be a cricket fanatic and said middle-class Tibetans faithfully followed the game on TV.

At the stadium, the Tibetans — men, women, teenagers and children — were hard to miss. Most wore T-shirts that carried slogans such as “I love Tibet, see you in Tibet” or “Stop Genocide in Tibet”.

It was a rainbow audience, unlike those at most Indian stadiums. Foreigners, many of whom live in McLeodganj for long periods and study Buddhism, too found time to be part of the IPL circus.

“I love cricket and Dhoni is my favourite,” said Gadul, a Tibetan worker who had come all the way from Mandi, 130km away.

The monks, enjoying a break from their strict study regimen, either went to the stadium or watched the match on television.

“It is the most beautiful ground in India,” said Sonam, who confessed himself a Dhoni fan as did his friend and fellow monk, Tenzing.

Phuntsok said cricket was becoming popular with Tibetans. “It is played at the school level. We also play at the Kachahari grounds in Dharamshala. But we cannot represent the state team as we are not Indian citizens,” he said. “We watch the same stupid serials and films (as you do)… so why not cricket?”

Tibet Hope Centre, an NGO, is raising funds for a decent playground for its students. Cricket, however, is not an immediate part of the plan.

“Unlike football or basketball, cricket is an expensive game if played professionally. It is popular only with middle-class Tibetans who have lived in India for decades. Most of the recent refugees from China know only football. Also, they live in abject poverty. We need classrooms for them,” said an activist.

The new stadium, however, is a boon for the local Indians. “It will definitely benefit tourism,” said businessman Bharat Bhushan Rastogi.

He said most foreigners used Dharamshala as a stopover to reach McLeodganj, but might now stay in the town if cricket matches became frequent here. Dharamshala’s traders have cashed in on the surge in tourist footfall this past week.

Any doubts about cricket’s popularity in McLeodganj vanished during a visit to an Internet café. Two Tibetan girls who had just finished watching Dhoni’s batting asked when TV would beam the highlights.

SPORT & POLITICS: I-T quizzes Mallya step-daughter, to widen probe – Witch Hunt ?!!

Vijay Mallaya and Lalit Modi - depicted as grinning ?!! (Photo MSN)

Source: Indian Express

New Delhi/Mumbai, April 18: The Income Tax department plans to enlarge its current inquiry into the IPL’s financial transactions to cover all the franchises amidst allegations of murky deals even as it questioned Vijay Mallya’s step-daughter who works for IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

Laila Mahmood, the step- daughter of Mallya who owns the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, was identified by I-T authorities as the woman who exited Modi’s office in a plush hotel in Mumbai minutes before I-T officials visited it for probe on Thursday.

Mallya also said in a statement that “my step-daughter Laila Mahmood works for Lalit Modi. I know nothing about this. I called Lalit Modi and he confirmed that she has given a statement to the Income Tax department.”

The I-T authorities suspected that the woman, who was seen carrying what appeared like a laptop and some documents, might have carried away some important documents minutes before their team reached the office.

Notwithstanding claims by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi that it was routine questioning on Thursday by officials at the premises of BCCI and his office in Mumbai, I-T department sources said the special team has prepared a voluminous report on the operations and sent it to the Finance Ministry in Delhi.

Top sources said that in the wake of the report, plans were afoot to summon representatives of the various IPL team owners for questioning and for production of teams. It may also include search operations on their officials premises, the source said adding it could be a long process, the sources said.

“We are widening our inquiry. However, it will take some time before we obtain all details about IPL’s transactions,” the sources said.

Asked about the ‘mystery’ woman, Modi suggested that his staff could have brought papers for him from a hotel room which was caught on close circuit TV before tax officials went there.

“All I know is I was not at the hotel (Four Seasons where he reportedly has a temporary office). They do bring things to me in my office… because the I-T has asked us to bring some documents, it must be…,” he said.

HOMELAND SECURITY: Census to skip Naxal-ruled villages – No infiltration concerns for later ?!!

The Red Corridor - National Consensus Bureau Cautious - Good or Bad ?!!

FROM INDIAN EXPRESS

New Delhi, April 18: There will be no census exercise in several hundred villages in Chhattisgarh which have been rendered out of bounds for government officials by Naxalite groups.

District administrations of Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker, all part of undivided Bastar which was once one of the largest districts in the country, have informed senior officials in Raipur that it will be difficult for them to carry out the census exercise — counting of people, collection of biometric data for preparation of the National Population Register — in many areas in view of the Naxal threat.

“We have requested that 108 villages in Dantewada be exempted from census because our officials are being prevented by Naxalites from reaching these areas. Our request has been accepted,” Reena Kangale, District Magistrate of Dantewada told The Sunday Express.

Kangale said local officials had identified 255 villages which posed a challenge to enumerators because of the inaccessible terrain and presence of Naxalites. In 147 of these, however, the enumerators were able to complete the numbering of houses, an exercise that precedes the actual counting of people.

“We are assuming that since the officials were allowed to number the houses, they would be able to carry out the census as well. But in 108 villages, even house numbering has not been possible,” she said.

Significantly, these 108 villages do not include the area near the Chintalnar forest where Naxalites had killed 76 securitymen earlier this month. Those areas were not counted amongst the worst affected in the district before that incident and were within reach of government officials.

Kangale’s counterparts in the other districts have not asked for exemption for the troubled areas but only identified the number of villages where there were “practical difficulties” in completing the census exercise.

The district administration of Kanker has listed 300 such villages while Jagdalpur has identified 194. Similarly, 117 villages in Bijapur and 22 villages in Narayanpur fall in the same category.

“There will be full effort to reach to every village and every person. But there is no denying the fact that there are some problem areas. The administration in Raipur has been informed while we continue efforts to complete the census in a comprehensive manner,” said R Prasanna, District Magistrate of Bijapur.

Lying in heavily forested areas, these villages do not have very large populations. The 22 villages in Narayanpur, for example, had only 1,723 people according to the 2001 census. So, leaving out these villages is unlikely to distort the census figures in a significant manner.

But what is important in this year’s census is the simultaneous compilation of the National Population Register, or NPR. Unlike the census data, which only contains a count of the people and some aggregate characteristics of broad groupings within the population, the NPR will identify every person individually and also store biometric information like photographs, fingerprints and iris scan. The NPR data will be later fed into the scheme for allotting a unique identification number to every individual in the country.

The NPR and UID number are aimed at better targeting of government services — like the public distribution system or the rural employment guarantee scheme — to the people, especially those belonging to the socially and economically weaker sections.

Map of Chhattisgarh

“Local officials have been told to spread awareness about the benefits of census and make people interested in participating in it,” said Renu Pillai, Director Census, Chhattisgarh.

The local administrations are also looking at alternative ways of carrying out the census exercise. “If some villages are indeed inaccessible, we are examining whether it would be feasible for us to count and identify people from these villages when they come to nearby markets or government fair price shops,” said Lakhan Singh Ken, District Magistrate of Narayanpur.

In Delhi, Registrar General and Census Commissioner C Chandramouli said such challenges were nothing new to this exercise.

“In a country so vast and such diverse as India, carrying out a census is a job laced with difficulties. This time it is the Naxal-affected areas. There have been other areas earlier where census could not be done in a comprehensive manner,” he said, citing the case of Assam that was left out in 1981 and Jammu and Kashmir where census could not be held in 1991.

Chandramouli said as of now he was not aware of any areas in Chhattisgarh that were being left out of the census exercise.

“May be the district administrations have expressed their apprehensions about certain areas but the mandate is to include everyone in this. Only on completion of the exercise next year will we come to know which areas could not be counted.”