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EDITORIAL Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Ms Jayalalitha has been convicted of corruption in the famous Tansi case and awarded 3 year rigorous imprisonment. She has upto November 2 for preferring appeal to the High Court. It shows that none is above law and ultimately all sinners have to pay for their acts of omission and commission. Jayalalitha is accused of having amassed immense wealth during her stint as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. There are many other cases at various stages of trial. It is...more The latest curtailment schedule announced for the Jammuites is totally uncalled for and defies logic. Only a few days back respite of half an hour lesser curtailment was announced to provide some relief to the hapless consumers. In his meeting with the Chamber and intelligentsia Chief Minister who also hold the power portfolio had promised to reduce peoples and industry's woes to the extent possible. Worst part which makes the administration suspect in public esteem ....more |
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Horrors of Autonomy— III From B L Kak By B Raman By Dr B K Fotedar Our role in controlling pollution By Babu Ramy Sharma |
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EDITORIAL Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Ms Jayalalitha has been convicted of corruption in the famous Tansi case and awarded 3 year rigorous imprisonment. She has upto November 2 for preferring appeal to the High Court. It shows that none is above law and ultimately all sinners have to pay for their acts of omission and commission. Jayalalitha is accused of having amassed immense wealth during her stint as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. There are many other cases at various stages of trial. It is apt to remind that on her fester son's marriage she had allegedly spent upto Rs 10 crore by conservative estimates. May it be distribution of dhotis to the poor women or television sets for the community use or the poor quality of coal imports at abnormal cost, she remains knee-deep in the pool of mass-corruption. The worst part of the story is that she propounded and continues to espouse the cause of the poor. Such is the breed of our rulers and politicians. It is not the question of how much punishment is awarded. She could get from minimum of 6 months to maximum of 7 years under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The all important question relates to punishing a former Chief Minister whose political career is put in jeopardy because she is barred from contesting election for 6 years. For a politician of her status and caliber it is too much to digest. In political terminology it is as good as end of her illustrious career and most of his supporters and AIADMK leaders besides the rank and file would desert her. It is this part of the punishment that must act as strong deterrent for the corrupt politicians. Tomorrow there will another verdict. Former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao has already been convicted of corruption and conspiracy in the famous JMM Bribery case by the designated court. Quantum of imprisonment is slated to be announced tomorrow. Former Home Minister is part of the conspiracy and corruption and punishment for Buta Singh is also to be announced by the Court. If it is more than 3 years, they will be arrested then and there under the law and sent to jail. If it is less than 3 years, he can be allowed bail immediately after pronouncement of the punishment. Narasimha Rao also faces similar charges in the Lakhubhai case and St. Pitts case even as his nearest kins are mentioned in scams like Urea imports which cost the nation loss of Rs 130 crore. During his tenure as the Prime Minister of the largest democracy, many other cases have happened. Notable amongst these are the largest ever financial scam which robbed the small investors of over Rs 10,000 crore. The main accused broker Harshad Mehta nicknamed the Big Bull yet remains scot free. This case was not allowed to proceed smoothly in as much as former Deputy Director of CBI Mr Madhavan was shown the door when he had almost succeeded in pointing the needle of suspicion towards the highest echelons of ruling hierarchy. The second case related to hawala scam when bribes amounting to Rs 65 crore were alleged to have been paid to many of his ministerial colleagues besides opposition leaders including LK Advani. But all these cases largely based on the Jain brothers diary were discharged by the Court due to lack of substantial evidence. The third case was the sugar scam which cost the consumers and the country around Rs 3000 crore. It is thus quite in tune with contours of justice that Narasimha Rao in his sunset hour would be punished. It is again not as much quantum of punishment as the message to the politicians and rulers that even when law takes its own course by consuming a lot of time, ultimately none can escape from it. Not only Narasimha Rao gets punishment. With this even the Congress on whose destiny he presided earns the ignominous label of being party of the corrupt or in league with the corrupt. It may be pointed out that Ms Jayalalitha's All India Anna DMK is allied to the Congress Party. There is another Chief Minister who is in the thick of many corruption cases. Laloo Prasad has been in it for a number of years now. Even his Chief Minister wife Ms Rabri Devi is charged in the Disproportionate assets case but she refuses to resign. There are many cases filed in the designated court and it is only a question of time when Laloo too shall have to pay heavy price for the various acts of corruption involving thousands of crores. This is despite the fact that all types of tools have been used to get out of these cases but then law has to take its own course. In retrospect one may recall former Punjab Chief Minister S Partap Singh Kairon who had to resign in the face of corruption charges. Abdul Rehman Antulay, former CM of Maharashtra, also had to quit office for the same reasons. Both these CMs belonged to the Congress Party. One can as well mention former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Bofor kickbacks cost him the Delhi throne with massive defeat at the husting. The FIR registered in 1987 is yet to culminate in finding and punishing end-users of the Rs 63 crore kickbacks, Since this amount belongs to the nation, perhaps one day truth would dawn and money could be recovered. From the above and many other cases at the lower rungs of the ruling and bureaucratic hierarchy, it is evident that our system is in place. The only lacuna is long time taken to decide the case. With various reformative measures envisaged, it is hoped that justice would be delivered expeditiously. Then and then alone it could have real deterrent impact. The latest curtailment schedule announced for the Jammuites is totally uncalled for and defies logic. Only a few days back respite of half an hour lesser curtailment was announced to provide some relief to the hapless consumers. In his meeting with the Chamber and intelligentsia Chief Minister who also hold the power portfolio had promised to reduce peoples and industry's woes to the extent possible. Worst part which makes the administration suspect in public esteem relates to the fact that right now it is neither the season of airconditioners nor the heating gadgets needed for warming up. Even coolers have been shut off. The flow of water in Chenab which feeds Salal is very much normal. One really wonders how the power supply has fallen. Northern grid receives power from various sources. Salal is just one of them. By any yardstick this is not the season for lower generation of power attributable to lesser flow of water in the rivers. This means there is something more to it than meets the eye. And that something is to create problems when there ought not to be a problem so that people continue to remain at the whims and fancies of the powers that be. It may also be a story of robbing Peter to pay Paul. And above all it is only the trailor for the bigger show in maladministration of the power sector in particular. First step was to sustain four and half hour curtailment throughout scorching heat and cent percent humidity. Second step was to befool the people by announcing reduction of half an hour to offer some relief to the citizens. The third step that is the latest curtailment of six hours is to prepare the ground for making the winter months as much dark and cold as the power sector managers can possible think of. And that schedule is just a few days away with the arrival of durbaris. It is whimsical style for any popular dispensation to hoodwink the people and make them pay for their own follies, mismanagement and lack-lustre performance. Only last week Chief Minister had promised to talk to the centre for releasing more power for the State. He was in Delhi and talked to so many people, Prime Minister included. Was this subject raked up? It is obvious that so-called popular government has supply of adequate power to the people as the 'lowest priority', each successive year being worse than the preceding one. Chief Minister should personally intervene and see that uncalled for, unprecedented and unpopular curtailments and disruptions ar stopped forthwith. |
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Horrors
of Autonomy— III From B L Kak It is not unknown that one of the terms of reference, duly confirmed by the ruling National Conference Government, for the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s autonomy panel was to examine and recommend measures for restoration of autonomy to the State of Jammu and Kashmir consistent with the Instrument of Accession, the Constitution Application Order,1950 and the Delhi Agreement of 1952. Dr Farooq’s bete noire, Mr Bhim Singh of the Panthers Party, obviously knows that the Delhi Agreement of 1952 has already found place in some official documents. And one such document, which also contains the main features of the Delhi Agreement, was marketed by the J&K Department of Information in August 1998. Curiously, however, Mr Bhim Singh has stated in his latest book that the 1952 Delhi Agreement "never existed anywhere in the womb of any Constitution or annals of the history". And the book has pronounced that the Delhi Agreement had no legislative, no legal effect "except that following this declaration by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah on August 11, 1952 in the State Assembly, the State monarch was abolished by a resolution on June 10, 1952". Reiterating that the order appointing the State Autonomy Committee (SAC) was "illegal and invalid abinitio" as it suffered from legal infirmity, Mr Bhim Singh has sought to highlight the "fact" that it was not issued by the Governor and nor was the order passed by the State legislature. And his book has also highlighted another "fact": No institution or authority can over-ride the authority of the State legislature. The J&K Constitution and Article 370 are the most effective safeguards to protect the State’s autonomy. While the third term of reference for the SAC was to examine and recommend measures to ensure a harmonious relationship for the future between the State and the Union, the book has termed it as "not a tenable proposition" as the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir has "sufficient mechanism and flexibility to ensure harmonious relationship between the State and the Union". Mr Bhim Singh has stoutly argued that the powers of the Union and the State of Jammu and Kashmir have been well defined the State Constitution itself. His assertion: There has been no confrontation in this regard, except in case of the Resettlement Act which was passed by the State Assembly at the behest of Sheikh Abdullah in 1981. The matter was referred to the Supreme Court for opinion. It is still pending. The book has termed as "totally absurd and reckless" the National Conference Government’s charge that the State’s autonomy, guaranteed by Article 370 of the Constitution of India, was eroded in breach of its provisions of those of the Instrument of Accession to which Article 370 gave full recognition of the Constitution (Application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order made under Article 370 by the President of India on January 26, 1950, extending to the State specified provisions of the Constitution of India which had come into force on the same day, and of the Delhi Agreement of July 1952. Reiterating that there was "no formal" Delhi Agreement of 1952, Mr Bhim Singh has angrily remarked: "This ghost Agreement was the creation of the figment of the imagination of the frustrated authors of this autonomy proposition". And yet another adverse comment made by Mr Bhim Singh: "The disgraceful part of the champions of this non-existent Agreement is that they have been pleading for a system in Jammu and Kashmir sans human, civil and fundamental rights. A look at this proposal what State Government termed as Delhi Agreement exposes the hidden agenda of the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir". The book has stated that no question of autonomy or greater autonomy arose between 1975 and 1982 when Sheikh Abdullah operated as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In fact, several Presidential orders were issued during this period in the interest of the people of the State. The most important order which was issued on the recommendation of Sheikh Abdullah, pertained to proclamation of emergency. The book has, nonetheless, referred to the constitution of two committees during the Sheikh’s tenure to examine Central laws extended to J&K after 1953 and find out which portion of them required to be scraped. A committee of legal experts under the supervision of Mirza Afzal Beg was appointed to suggest amendments if required in the State Constitution in pursuance of the 1975 Accord. After the death of Mr Beg, DD Thakur committee was appointed. It submitted its report to the Government. But when some members were not satisfied with the report, Sheikh Abdullah set up another committee. Both the committees, according to Mr Bhim Singh’s book, came to the conclusion that all Central legislations were applied to Jammu and Kashmir strictly in accordance with the procedure and law as laid down in the provisions of Article 370 after obtaining concurrence of the State legislature and the Government. Second conclusion: All the laws promulgated in J&K were in interest and welfare of the people of the State. Third conclusion: There was no occasion to delete any law brought into the domain of J&K by the successive legislatures since 1953. (To be continued) |
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By Dr B K Fotedar Indian Industry depends entirely and extensively on heavy metals. Besides this toxic emissions are but natural. Soon after India got independence, Indian industries began to spread in various parts of India. Most of the industries were started as heavy industries using large amounts of heavy metals. Soon along with it mining operations were extensively carried out and mine wastes, sewers and belching chimneys pumped in large amounts of metals into river channels and atmosphere. Heavy metals are required either as catalysts or ingredients in the manufacturing process. They could also be part of manufactured products. Among the industries with the highest emissions is the mining Industry. The trouble with mining industries is that all washings run into water bodies, may it be river, spring, lake or a well. Thus these water bodies become hot spots of heavy metal pollution. Bokaro steel plant is an example of contaminating its heavy metal affluents into Damodar river. Besides the mining industry, thermal power plants, chemicals and leather industries also contribute to the heavy metal load. India is the fifth largest producer of coal. But this distinction is not without its disadvantages. Mining releases chromium, cadmium, copper lead and mercury - all toxic heavy metals. Where such mining activities of caol have affected water bodies are: Raniganj in West Bengal, Jharia in Bihar and Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh. Other metals mined in India include lead, zinc, nickel, chromium, copper, iron, manganese and tin. About 20 percent of released cadimum, a potent carcinogen comes form zinc mining and smelting operations. Today Bichri in Rajasthan has no fertile land left for agriculture. It is hard to find clean water for drinking or irrigation. Hindustan Zinc Ltd, a public sector undertaking and several other smaller private industries have contaminated the whole village with zinc and cadmium. Several other mines - Khetri and Zawar in Rajasthan and Melanjikhand in MP for instance have reduced the adjoining areas to virtual waste-lands. Mining belts and metal smelters such as khetri and Zawar in Rajathan, Melanjkhand in MP, Bihar copper field and Agnigundala in A.P. are all source for heavy metals like lead, copper, cadmium, iron which destroy the environment. Yet another source of heavy metal pollution is thermal power plants. At present India has 80 of these. A 2000 megawatt thermal power plant with an annual consumption of 8 million tons of coal produces 1600 tonnes of lead, 800 tonnes of zinc, 80 tonnes of cadmium and 40 tonnes of uranium. Needless to say, all these end up in the environment. For instance the Talchir Power Plant in Orissa pumps almost five tonnes of these harmful heavy metals every day. Then there are chemical industries discharging metals like mercury, lead, zinc, nickel and chromium are released into the environment. Gujrat and Maharashtra have some of the largest customers of chemical industries over small areas. Tanneries also discharge huge amounts of chromium into the environment. There are about 2500 tanneries in India. It was reported in the Indian Journal of Environmental protection that the total wastewater discharge ranged from 80, 000 to 100,000 cubic metres per day. About 90 percent of these are in the small and medium scale sectors and are not equipped with effluent treatment plants. Untreated tannery affluents contaminate land, ground and surface water. Sugar firms also pollute in one way or the other. For refining sugar, molasses are used. The heavy metal content of India molasses is higher as compared to that of beetroot based molasses from other countries. According to experts concentration of Iron and Zinc in Indian molasse is 410 ug/g and 477 ug/g respectively which is ten to 30 times higher than Brazilian molasse. Out of the total amount of lead produced in the world 70 percent is used in the manufacture of lead batteries. Cadmium and lead are also used in storage batteries. Pollution occurs from the time of manufacture and their use all the time they are either repaired or disposed off. The heavy metals have made their entry in our food items also. In India very little attention has been given to the accumulation of heavy metals in food products such as vegetables, cereals, fruits and replete with these toxins. A study conducted by Central Pollution control Board and the department of Agriculture, Calcutta university, reported in "Telegaph" in July 1997 showed that vegetables grown at Dhapa - Bamtala, a small locality in Calcutta contain toxic metals. One fourth of the vegetables sold in city markets comes from this area. Dhapa grown cauliflower contains 44.1 mg lead, and 3.3 mg Cd in every kilogram of produce. So if anyone has eaten 23 kg of Dhapa grown cauliflower, he or she has also ingested about 1 mg of lead and about 0.08 mg of cadmium. The WHO standard of lead is 0.5 mg/kg of body weight per person and for cadmium it is 0.0083 mg/kg. Two studies conducted by the ICMR in 1993 and 1996 also reveal that canned food products contain metals like lead, aluminium tin and zinc. After storing the product for one year, the content of tin in canned food products kept at room temperature increased from 27 mg/kg to 542mg/kg almost 7 to 15 times more than when these products were canned. The use of heavy metals in household items has grown over the years. No one is spared here. From the walls to the floors, kitchen to the dinning room, nothing is safe. Be it lead, mercury, cadmium or chromium, hardly any household item is safe from these toxic metals. Myraids of diseases are caused by the intake of water containing heavy metals. For example cadmium causes Itai Itai disease (fragile bones), Nickel causes dermatitis and pneumonia, mercury causes Minimata disease (disorder of nervous system), zinc causes continued fever and perspiration, and with heavy in take of iron makes skin sensitive to light. Lead causes low intelligence level, abnormal neurobehaviour and impaired growth. The only way to minimise the heavy metals threat is to limit their use. We have to think of substituting minerals with natural products, composites, and non-toxic metals. Proper precautions like metal coating and colouration of food should also be banned. Food additives should strictly by certified. A multi-disciplinary approach is necessary for critical sample collection, assured quality analysis, interpretation of laboratory and epidemiological data and surveillance. As far as possible monitoring and surveillance should be maintained in the hot spots of metal contamination. |
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Our role in controlling pollution By Babu Ramy Sharma Our country's land area is quite limited. It is not expansionable Even then we are burdening it with exploding population and not resorting to birth-control according to our dated beliefs to our own detriment. Out-growing population is not friendly to keeping our environment free from pollution. Drastic control of population over - growth is a must. We have also limited forest cover on our land mass. The forest cover is environment and eco-system friendly. Regrettably we are destroying this forest cover by replacing it with pollution - Prone habitats, Agriculture and Industries. In consequence, we are also endangering our biological life (Plants, birds, animals) so very useful and inter-connected to human life. Unfortunately there is no renewing/regeneration and afforestation corresponding to destruction of forest cover and fast outstripping large scale needs thereof. As such disproportional denudation of forests poses a serious threat to our very existence. Just survey the consequential erosion of land mass, desilting and in-undating flooding of mountainous streams and rivers causing havoc, devastation, losses of forest wealth, living beings, property, besides resultant perverse climatic changes year after year. Forests and Green Cover is health giving, freshness the air and purifies environment. Forest fires are very harmful to environment and eco-system and must be checked. Pollution-Prone vacant lands: These are safe places for dumping of garbage and unwanted materials, easing and urinating, un-healthy growing of bushes, encroachments, construction of Jhuggies, tresspassing, mal-practices, uses by un-scrupluous elements and saboteurs. These un-cared for places are also pollutative of environment for obvious reasons. They need proper attention by Government departments for afforestation or other necessary use in respect of Government lands and plot allottees for construction and protection of their plots of land or else their auction by the Allottee Government Departments. Water Pollution: The un-checked exploding populations of the country is also responsible for water pollution and water - power scarcity. The open drainage channels and drains constructed in Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar and Trikuta Nagar Towns with faulty gradients cause stagnation of water here and there in the channels. The Government and private sweepers are also responsible for further blockage of drain water as they conveniently outpour their sweepings straight into the channels. The house-holders, tailors and road side mechanics, cattle-dairy owners and other prohibited manufacturers including passers-by etc dump their unwanted materials into the drainage channels. The blocked materials, stagnate stink and give birth to harmful fungii. The drainage channels are cleared and cleaned rarely without spraying. Resultantly, not only the foul drainage water vitiates environment but also contaminates water pipes, domestic water supply and their storage. The crying needs is for immediately covering of the polluted drainage channels as done in Jammu city and their fortnightly clearing, cleaning, and spraying ensured by the concerned departments. Pollution by Industrial effluents: These pollutions besides washing of hides, clothes and bed covers of patients etc contaminate drinking water which is used by river-side villages without proper treatment. Air Pollution: This is a dangerous health hazard. It has reached alarming levels. Garbage, human wastes, stagnating dumps of filth, open drainage channels give out foul smell which pollutes air. Toxic Gases, chemical, wastes and effluents also vitiate the air. Burning of fuels of sorts by vehicles, trains, industries, pavement dwellers, cow-dung of cattle, dhobies, dhabas etc give out clouds of choking smoke which make the air foul, crackers, fire works during marriages and festivals, gun fire, bombing detonations give out streams of pollutants. Some vehicles spark and give out smoke while plying with lights on. These are air pollutants such defective vehicles call for immediate repairs replacements. Sound pollution: It is deafening. It is due to Switching on of Transistors, Radios, Televisions at high pitch besides Loud speakers, Advertisers, Drum beating in celebrations of marriages, functions, festivals, singing, dancings accompanied by fire works, and other festivities. Sound pollution disturbs patients, examinees in their studies, mental workers and neighbours. This indicates un-concern for others affected by such pollutants. Role of local bodies and concerned Govt Deptts: Gram Panchayats, Zila Parishads, Municipalities, corporations are charged with the responsibility of administering their own local affairs and to lookafter the health and hygiene of the people in their respective jurisdictions. Accordingly, they have to maintain proper cleanliness and disposal of garbage without piling up here and there. Their burning entails pollution. The concerned local bodies and departments must see to it that there is fortnighly clearance, cleanliness of the drainage channels and the accummulated muck in them is disposed of quickly so as to provide healthy, disease-free and clean environment to residents. Govt role: Govt must augment revenues of these local bodies adequately so that they are enabled to perform their duties and function satisfactorily. Further, in order to make the coming generations aware of the need for healthy environment, a compulsory chapter on this topic be got provided for in the educational syllabii right from 5th Primary class to BA final class and a compulsory question got get in examinations from the chapter. Excursions and educational tours in schools and colleges should be used to make the students aware of environment and need for its preservation and maintaining eco-system. These occasions should also be utilised to interact with schools/colleges organisations of areas visited and their Liaison arranged for to do demonstratory scouting work in protecting environment by involvement of the local people during vacation. Public role: We should keep our surroundings neat, clean and beautiful. As good citizens of a great Democracy, we must ensure that we do not throw our garbage at our neighbours doors nor in the drainage channels but should collect the sweepings and refuse in our garbage tins and get the same outpoured in the Municipal Committee Garbage vans. All the van-garbage must, immediately be got lifted and properly disposed of by the Municipality. This will avoid pollution of environment considerably besides its feeding by the private milch cattle, and production of polluted milk and bad smell from their mouths of the cattle fed on garbage. All dairies and manufacturers causing pollution mut not be allowed to operate in residential areas. In the country side the gram panchayats etc must see to it that the garbage, dunghill etc are got deposited in dig-pits in the fields and not allowed to be piled around the village or near water ponds and wells so as to avoid their contamination. |
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