Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

Return of Pandits

Spare a thought

Mosquitoes bite
Indian Air Force!

By B L Kak

Gender equality: A chimera

By Dr Vandana Sharma

International convention
on nuclear safety

By K S Parthasarathy

EDITORIAL

Return of Pandits

Once again the question has arisen whether the members of the Kashmiri Pandit community would return to the Valley in near future. Official sources have dropped a clear hint that their first batch would most probably resettle albeit in new homes probably in either central Budgam district or around the sacred shrines of Kheer Bhawani and Mattan in June. In a quick and bitter reaction the All-State Kashmiri Pandit Conference has rejected the idea describing it "as a mischievous move of the Government". This organisation feels that the KPs if pushed back in this fashion would become "vulnerable in hostile environment as the security scenario in the Valley is very bad". One is nearly certain that the response of other KP outfits is not likely to be any different despite the fact that they are hopelessly divided and sub-divided down the line. They remain apprehensive about the sort of reception they would receive. This is evident from the grim truth that not even one of their families has found it worthwhile to go back to resume their association with the land of their origin. Admittedly, there have been many reassuring signs of the surviving bonhomie between the KPs and their old Muslim neighbours (this is unfortunate that one has to underline the religious distinction between the people having the common past and history but there is no other way one can describe the existing reality) during the Kheer Bhawani fair and rebuilding of a couple of shrines including the one in the highly sensitive Kupwara district. These warm inter-actions have been occasional and temporary that have promised a lot but achieved very little in terms of completely repairing their fractured bonds. Nobody can deny that there are solid reasons why it is extremely difficult to convince the KPs that they would not come to any harm again. Selective killings of individuals and large-scale massacres coupled together are enough to deter any group of people from carrying out a fresh experiment in mutual existence and the KPs can't be expected to any exception.

Haunted by the cruel precedents the KPs are quite justified in not being certain about what would happen in future howsoever eager they may be to return to the Valley. There are other facets of their dilemma as well that have emerged in the last 15 years they have been away. One is of course that it is with a lot of stress and sweat that they have managed to adjust themselves in their new surroundings in unfamiliar and inhospitable hot plains: naturally they will be less then inclined to part with them in exchange for something that they tend to think in their present frame of mind is not guaranteed for good. Secondly, they have an entirely new young generation on hand that has merely heard and read about its ancestral place and is not much enthusiastic about exploring it as it finds itself exposed instead to a more fruitful world of tremendous social and economic opportunities. On political plane the organisations like the Panun Kashmir feel that the KPs can go back only if they get a separate homeland --- an independent administrative unit of their own.

All said and done the KPs have their natural habitat in the Valley and both are made for each other. On its part the Government as a guardian of collective interests of the people is right in planning their homecoming. What should be carefully avoided is the temptation to indulge in a cosmetic exercise. That may do an irreparable damage rather than serving a well-intentioned cause.

Spare a thought

On the same page on the same day recently this newspaper had different but tell-tale accounts of the pitiable condition of two government schools existing in the Valley. According to one report --- this was based on official information --- Minister of State for Education Ghulam Nabi Lone was in for a surprise when on a sudden inspection he found that Government (Boys) High School, Nowpora, right in Srinagar district was closed even though there was no holiday. The other report, filed by one of our correspondents, narrated the agony of hundreds of school children of a middle school at Lamad in Anantnag district who were made to study in the open after being locked out of the building. How could such a trauma be allowed to be inflicted on innocent children? Unless Dr Lone was on a publicity excursion --- in the past too many of his predecessors have undertaken such sudden exercises more to hog temporary limelight than to do anything concrete --- the Nowpora school incident in a way truly exemplifies the way the lethargy, inefficiency and crookedness have come to mark the government apparatus in charge of spreading education. Not surprisingly the minister has come across the complaints of dereliction of duty, absenteeism and lack of sense of responsibility on the part of the concerned staff during his extended tour of other schools as well. The Lamad school, on the other hand, represents the general state of government primary and middle schools in remote and hilly areas particularly. This is an unfortunate aspect of our education system that there are a large number of lower-level schools without proper buildings and the children have to per force sit either under trees or in the open. The dream to take education to every nook and corner has not been matched with needed financial support. In this case there is a building but the administrative machinery for some reason which is not clear has failed to retain it. There are examples galore in Anantnag district itself of the schools possessing inadequate and badly lit accommodation including in the Chief Minister's otherwise picturesque assembly constituency of Pahalgam. The teacher: student ratio is most disappointing in a couple of schools with teachers evidently being able to wriggle out of difficult locations by securing postings at convenient places. In these circumstances one does not have to hazard a guess why government schools are not attracting enough students compared to those in the private sector. This is despite the fact that selection standards for teachers are tougher in official establishments than elsewhere where the managements are always in a position to have a decisive say or manipulate rules and regulations according to their suitability.

There is no reason to believe that the situation in Jammu and Ladakh regions is dramatically different. In the higher reaches of Udhampur, Doda and Poonch districts one can spot ill-kept government school buildings with teachers and students preferring to do work outside in the midst of natural environment than in rooms specified for the purpose. More often than not they are at the mercy of weather. Whosoever can afford prefers, therefore, to send their children to the "English-medium" schools that have witnessed a mushroom growth even in faraway territories regardless of whether they are well equipped or not: it is assumed that since they charge higher fees and have brighter uniforms (which is ironically done at the expense of guardians) they must be better. The negative perception about government schools can be corrected by ensuring regular attendance of teachers and providing plenty of covered and safer places.

Mosquitoes bite Indian Air Force!

By B L Kak

Indian Air Force (IAF) has every right to defend its men and officers against flying gnats, some biting severely and some conveying malaria. But the 'battle' launched by the IAF's HQ Maintenance Command (MC) against the mosquitoes has, sadly, exposed its inability to do justice to the tax-payers' money. Had the MC exercised utmost caution while placing orders for mosquito nets the situation would have been totally different. In other words, excess procurement of these nets valued at Rs. 3.78 crores.

No wonder, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India had no option but to berate the IAF's HQ Maintenance Command. The CAG report on Air Force and Navy for the year ended March 2004 has exposed the Maintenance Command's "undue indulgence" to Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), which resulted in excess procurement of mosquito nets valued at Rs. 3.78 crores. IAF's MC, in October 2002 and March 2003, placed supply orders for 1.12 lakh and 0.55 lakh of round mesh polyester mosquito nets respectively on RIL at a total cost of Rs. 8.30 crores.

Audit scrutiny revealed that the procurement from the firm was in violation of the rules and procedures underlying public tendering, and in disregard of the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). CAG report says that neither had Reliance Industries Limited established the fabrication facilities for the mosquito nets at the time of conclusion of the first contract for Rs. 5.57 crores, nor had they been granted excise license permission for the products.

Maximum potential establishment (MPE) for mosquito nets fixed by the Government was 30 months. HQ Maintenance Command, however, without Government approval, reduced the MPE to 24 months in November 2000 and then increased the MPE to 36 months in April 2002. HQ MC assessed the requirement of 65,000 nets, in periodical review conducted in May 2002. However, it placed orders in October 2002 with Reliance Industries for 1, 12,000 nets resulting in over provisioning of 47,000 nets costing Rs. 2.34 crores. Again, while the subsequent periodical review in November 2002 indicated the requirement to minus 21,1001 nets, HQ MC placed the repeat order in March 2003 with Reliance for 55,000 nets, resulting in over provisioning of 76,101 nets costing Rs. 3.78 crores.

Yet another unwanted act by the IAF: Calendar life of a helicopter was extended without authority and without proper technical documents. The helicopter subsequently collapsed and had to be repaired at an avoidable expenditure of Rs. 3.49 crores. IAF's MI-26 helicopter was due for overhaul by October 1996. In January 1997, a board of officers extended the calendar life of the helicopter by one year, until October 1997, without consulting the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

The helicopter collapsed in August 1997, while parked in the tarmac area, resulting in extensive damage. The estimated loss due to accident alone was Rs. 8.48 crores. The court of inquiry held in November 1997 attributed the collapse to faulty manufacturing processes and deficiency in designing the helicopter struts. Similar defects in the struts of three other helicopters were also found. Failure of the IAF to procure from the OEM the technical documentation necessary for performing life extensions, and performing the life extension on their own without the requisite documentation, resulted in an avoidable expenditure of Rs. 3.49 crores on repairs to the helicopter.

Signed by Sunil K Bahri, Principal Director of Audit, Air Force and Navy and countersigned by Vijayendra N Kaul, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the 52-page report has also brought to the fore some acts, totally uncalled for, indulged in by the Navy. And the sensational act relates to the violation of induction procedure of new clothing items by Naval Headquarters. It is official that officer cadets and sailor trainees in Naval training establishments are issued shoes of specifications as issued by the Directorate General of Supplies (inspection wing) in 1992.

In April 2002, HQ Southern Naval Command proposed introduction of shoes of superior specifications. Naval HQ approved the proposal in September that year and placed an indent with controller of procurement, Mumbai, for 15,000 pairs of shoes in December 2002. Against a requirement of 6,200 pairs of shoes projected by the user (HQ Southern Naval Command), Naval HQ placed final supply orders, without financial concurrence, for 15,000 pairs of shoes for Rs. 39 lakhs, which was beyond their powers. There were no user's trials prior to the placement of the final supply order.

No wonder, INS Chilka, a training establishment to whom 4,284 pairs of shoes were issued, informed the Naval HQ in October 2003 that the new shoes were defective. In February 2004, Naval HQ decided not to introduce the revised version of shoes in the Indian Navy. It was infructuous expenditure of Rs. 39 lakhs on unsuitable shoes.

Equally disgusting was the lack of competitive tendering in purchase of cloth for Naval uniforms. The CAG has let it be known that procurement of uniform material costing Rs. 9.94 crores on single tender basis resulted in extra expenditure of Rs. 3.62 crores. Audit scrutiny revealed that Naval HQ placed orders worth Rs. 2.30 crores in December 2001 on Reliance Industries for all the three items long before their approval by the ministry of Defence and that the material superintendent, Mumbai, placed orders worth Rs. 2.44 crores in September 2002 and Rs. 1.18 crores in February 2003 on Reliance Industries for polyester viscose gabardine white for trousers before their approval for introduction by the Defence ministry in October 2004.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) concluded a contract in November 1997 with a Russian firm for supply of three modern frigates for the Indian Navy at Rs. 3,040 crores. For delay in delivery in excess of 90 days, the seller was to pay liquidated damages at the rate of one per cent of the contractual price of the vessel for each month of delay or pro rata for fraction of a month, but not exceeding five per cent of the contractual price.

Failure of Naval HQ to repatriate the crew immediately after training irregular retention of personnel, coupled with premature expatriation of crew caused avoidable expenditure of Rs. 30.12 crores. Indian Navy also did not levy liquidated damages of Rs. 177.10 crores.

Gender equality: A chimera

By Dr Vandana Sharma

The heart rending instances of crime and discrimination against women broadcast on the TV channels day in and day out stop us in the tracks and ask. Is this what we call progress? Are we not deluding ourselves when we boast of IT revolution and pat ourselves on the back for having some of the richest men in the world and applaud our 'Antriksh mein ek aur oonchi udan'? A society in which one half of the population because it is female, is denied the liberty of using the public places with the same ease and sense of security as the other half, which is male, where one woman is reported to be raped every day in the national capital and women members of the family cannot claim the partition of their dwelling house without the consent of the male members is definitely violating the basic principle of equality.

Equality is the cornerstone of every democratic society which aspires to social justice and human rights. In virtually all societies and spheres of activity women are subject to inequalities in law and in fact. Gender inequality has been the oldest problem ever since the genesis of the world when Adam and Eve came into being. Women have been described as fairer sex and weaker sex in common phrases all over the world. In our country, where on the one hand there are Vedic sayings like 'Where the Women are honoured, there the Gods are pleased'. On the other hand there are scriptures like 'Manu-Smriti' which reinforce that 'A women's father protects her in childhood, her husband protects her in youth and her son protect in old age She is never fit for independence.' Therefore, discrimination against women is widespread and is as old as hills in our patriarchal society. It encompasses a wide spectrum and begins even before the birth of a woman in the form of female foeticide to dowry deaths in homes, assault on their dignity in the male-dominated society despite their contribution in every sphere of life, be it sweating it out in agricultural fields or enthusiastically particiation in a battle of ideas on political platform.

The global campaign for elimination of discrimination against women in the recent years indicates the enormity as well as the seriousness of the atrocities committed against women that are being witnessed the world over. To safeguard the dignity and to protect the human rights of women, numerous committees and commissions have been set up worldwide. Despite the existing International Bill of Human Rights which guarantees a comprehensive set of rights to all persons including women, a need of a separate legal instrument for women was felt. This brought into force CEDAW- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, an International instrument designed to combat the continuing discrimination against women. The convention identifies many specific areas where there has been notorious discrimination against women, for example in regard to political rights, marriage, family and employment. India is also a signatory to this international body. But an alarming increase in the crime and discrimination against women in the present times poses a vital question: Is our country really serious about Gender Equality and empowering women? Can male mindset tolerate the emancipation of women? The answer undoubtedly appears 'No' keeping in view the following factual position:

(i) The bill for the Reservation of Women in Parliament and State Legislature has become a contentious issue and so has not been passed for the last so many years. The unreasonable furore created in the house whenever it is tabled for discussion depicts the real intentions of our so called representatives who appear to be in no mood to pass the controversial bill.

(ii) Women Disqualification Bill introduced by our State Government last year is another striking instance of the biased attitude of the people at the helm, who debate much about Gender Equality but seemed to practice very little in reality; Had this Bill been passed, it would have deprived the women of their ancestral property and also employment after getting married to a non State subject. The bill was violative of CEDAW and triggered massive protests by women organizations. Ultimately Thank God! Wisdom prevailed upon Congress legislators who opposed the bill, thereby, making it a dead letter.

(iii) Another depressing aspect is the increasing rate of rapes, molestations and eve-teasing in our country and the subsequent half hearted approach of authorities concerned with the punishment of the culprit. Shouldn't the law makers contemplate to formulate some draconian laws so as to check such heinous crimes.

Keeping in view the present state of affairs it is not an exaggeration to say that Gender Equality is a Chimera in our society. Because

It has happened,

and it goes on happening,

and will happen again

if nothing happens to stop it.

International convention on nuclear safety

By K S Parthasarathy

On April 25 this year, nuclear specialists from 51 countries met at Vienna, the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to share information on nuclear safety. The occasion had a special significance. Nearly a month earlier, on March 31, India ratified the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the first international legal instrument dealing directly with the safety of civilian nuclear power plants. Now all the 30 countries operating nuclear power stations participate in the Convention. For IAEA, the United Nations atomic watchdog agency it was a memorable occasion. The Convention will enter into force on June 29, 2005.

The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, on April 26, 1986, exactly 19 years ago, served as a catalyst for the Convention. The accident occurred because the reactor had some flaws in its design. In addition, inadequately trained personnel without proper regard to safety operated it.

The accident led to the death of 30 workers within a few days or weeks. Hundred others suffered radiation injuries. The authorities evacuated about 116,000 people from areas surrounding the reactor and permanently relocated 220,000 people from Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Vast areas got heavily contaminated. The affected people suffered indescribable social and psychological impact.

In 2000, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reported that the only scientifically substantiated radiation related health effect in the general population following the accident, has been a sharp increase in thyroid cancer among children from the severely contaminated areas. Health specialists attribute ten deaths due to thyroid cancer. Apart from this, UNSCEAR did not observe any evidence of increases in overall cancer incidence or mortality or in non-cancerous disordes associated with radiation exposure. Further studies are continuing.

According to Mohamed Albaradei, the IAEA Director General, the reputation of nuclear industry has never fully recovered from the heavy blow it suffered from the explosion and fire at the Chernobyl reactor.

The reputation of US nuclear industry suffered a beating in 1979 when an accident occurred in the Three Mile Island nuclear power station. Equipment malfunctions, design related problems and worker error caused the accident; the core of the reactor melted partially; but very small amount of radioactivity got released off-site. There were no deaths or injuries.

Both the accidents adversely influenced the public perception on nuclear industry. The need to improve nuclear safety became an important agenda for discussion. In September 1991, the participants at the IAEA sponsored International Conference on the ''Safety of Nuclear Power: Strategy for the Future'' held in Vienna, expressed the need for an international instrument on nuclear safety. In the same month, the 35th session of the General Conference of the IAEA took note of this and decided to initiate the preparatory work to establish a Convention on nuclear safety.

At the invitation of the Director General of the IAEA, a group of experts met at Vienna from December 9-13, 1991 and reiterated the need for the Convention. From May 1992 to February 1994, IAEA held seven meetings on the topic. Over 100 experts from 50 countries attended these meetings.

Finally, the delegates from 83 countries and observers from international organisations met at Vienna from June 14-17, 1994 and adopted the final text of the Convention.

The Convention commits the subscribing nations to ensure the safety of land based civil nuclear power plants including such storage, handling and treatment facilities as are on the same site and are directly related to the operation of the nuclear power plants.

India played a pivotal role in drafting the Convention. At the plenary session of the Diplomatic Conference the delegates elected India as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Conference. Dr A Gopalakrishnan, the then Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, led the Indian delegation and chaired the drafting committee. It consisted of delegates from 15 member states which included USA, UK, Canada, China, France, Japan, Russian Federation among others.

The Convention has 35 articles in four chapters. The preamble highlights the importance to the nuclear community of ensuring that the use of nuclear energy is safe, well regulated and environmentally sound. The Convention aims at achieving and maintaining a high level of nuclear safety worldwide through the enhancement of national measures and international cooperation including, where appropriate, safety-related technical cooperation.

Establishing effective defence in nuclear installations against potential radiological hazards, prevention of accidents with potential radiological consequences, and mitigatory measures, if they occur, are the other objectives.

The Convention is an incentive-based instrument. It does not rely on controls and sanctions. It depends on self assessment, information sharing and active peer review. What binds the countries together is the common interest to achieve higher levels of nuclear safety.

The Convention requires that the Contracting Parties conduct peer review meetings once every three years. At these meetings, they are required to submit reports on the measures taken to implement the Convention. IAEA held three review meetings so far.

According to the Convention, each party shall take appropriate steps to review the safety of existing nuclear power plants at the earliest. The country shall ensure that all reasonably practical improvements are made urgently to upgrade the safety of their installations. If they cannot upgrade the safety of the plants, they must implement plans to shut them down after taking into account the whole energy context and possible alternatives as well as the social, environmental and economic impact.

The demand for energy is expected to double by 2050. According to United Nations, nuclear power will have to add the equivalent of at least 127 more 1000 Megawatt plants by 2020. Addressing the ministers and senior officials from 60 countries attending the Conference on Nuclear Power for the 21st Century in March, at Paris, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBeradei bemoaned the failure of the nuclear community to ''effectively'' market the strength of nuclear power in comparison with other sources.

Professor Roald Hoffman, Nobel Laureate, had long back suggested that nuclear power protagonists can have a natural alliance with informed environmentalists. He felt that the information on the environmental advantages of nuclear power is new.

International review of safety and enforcing of uniform, robust standards worldwide is unique to nuclear industry. The progress in implementing the provisions of the Convention in letter and spirit by the countries operating nuclear power plants will reassure the discerning members of the public about the safety of this much debated industry.

PTI Feature