Shiban Khaibri
Volumes can be written to describe the innumerable benefits of the forests to the mankind. The tree gives us every thing we need, right from the life giver oxygen to cover from scorching sun and rains; to food, timber and firewood; to fodder and to the causing of rains. Cluster or groves of trees make forests which form the bedrock of economic and ecological activity. We get from forests, perennial supply of water for drinking and for agricultural purposes; rain water is regulated and preserved including the ground water getting recharged. Trees and forests are central and integral to sustainability of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and the like. Looking to the countless benefits of the trees, recognition and importance to trees have been accorded in the form of even worshipping which has been an ancient Indian practice, prevalent even now in many parts of the country, including in many parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Our state of Jammu and Kashmir has been known as biomass of the country with a spread forest area of around 20000 Kms. We can vouch for eco tourism as well as natural tourism not only in Kashmir division but in Jammu division in a massive way, only if our policy planners treat forests and their perseverance and development on priority in the interests of the people. Our hydroelectric projects get indirect solid support from our forests. Many of our factories and industries get raw material including herbs of immense medicinal value from forests. Forests are a tourist attraction as well. One of the notable characteristics of forests is their role of being helpful to environmental sequestration. In addition to it, the forests do help in the maintenance of the ecological balance and pollution abatement. Our Jammu city is on the borderline of becoming a city with air pollution and perseverance and maintenance of our existing forests could neutralize the deleterious effects of the air pollution. How can we, then, afford to axe a tree or replace lush green forests with those by the forests of concrete, cement, iron, bricks, and glass etc., all in the name of and under the alibi of materialistic development? Why cannot we see green more than we see around left over dirty polythene bags, heaps of dirt and debris, and dust, choked drains, stinking lanes and streets and the like? Planting and protecting a tree should be our sacred duty.
The sacred Rigved deals with plants which made Vedic Indians know about flower and fruit bearing plants. Trees and forests have been mythologized which has played very important role in shaping world’s mythologies and religions, besides holding cultural significance. Shree Ram made forests as His abode for as many as 14 years. We know about Ashok Vatika of the demon Rawan. We know Shree Krishan’s immense love for trees and rivers and His synonymy with Bamboo trees of which was made His flute, preferring, therefore, to be called Murlidhar and Bansi Lal. Lord Buddha was born under Ashoka tree and attained enlightenment under the Peepal tree , also called Budhi tree or the tree of enlightenment. Lord Mahavir renounced the world under Ashok tree. Banyan tree symbolizes life and fertility. This writer has been fortunate to see the grandeur and the royalty of the largest Banyan tree of the world in the Indian Botanical garden in Howrah, Kolkota. The innumerable medicinal and healing properties of the Neem tree are known to all of us. Are not even now wreaths, red thread, ribbons, rags of different colours tied around the trunks and the branches of some specific trees to win a boon, a favour, a good marital partner etc;? Knowing all this, why are we, the people and our governments, indifferent towards perseverance and protection of our forest wealth?
Developmental processes have resulted in the loss of a large forest area and exploitations beyond the sustainable capacity has led to degradation of the forests’ vegetation and the forests’ soils. This degradation has resulted in the erosion of the soil, flash floods, reduction of forest productivity and silting of reservoirs. Illegal and wanton felling of trees has wrecked havoc with our forest wealth. It is estimated that 50% of the state’s forests have slipped in open and unprotected forests which has resulted in the reduction of the population of the medicinal plants. Unrestricted grazing on continuous basis has also damaged forests and regeneration has been abysmally low. Timber smuggling has been running as a parallel commercial activity by unscrupulous elements especially in Shopian and Pir Panchal ranges of the state and very less as a deterrent or bringing the culprits to justice, has been witnessed. It is shocking that as many as 14360 hectares of forest land has been encroached in our Jammu and Kashmir state , out of which 9500 hectares of land falls in Jammu region while as 4860 hectares of land in Kashmir is in illegal possession. This has been revealed by the state Forest Minister while unveiling new forest policy of the state early last year in which he claimed scientific management of forests, conservation of bio – diversity, rehabilitation of depleted forests etc. As to why has vast chunks of forest land been so liberally allowed to be encroached upon, it has been said that the “encroachment” was “allowed” under “Grow more food” scheme launched years back when people were given any piece of land for farming practices. Now the Government states that it has started the process of reclaiming the land ostensibly because the state has been unable to meet its demand for food grains for which it is dependent on neighbouring states. How much success has the Government achieved in reclaiming the encroached forest land, the government has no data, in fact the results appear to be not satisfactory. The land records of forests are still to be reconciled and rectified with the Revenue department. Forest demarcation and rising of fencing and boundary walls are some of the measures to be envisaged to be undertaken by the state government under the new policy.
Vide this policy , it has been stated that the hitherto very liberal approach of providing forest land for construction and developmental purposes, by the state government is sought to be reversed and that ‘”the forest department would give clearance only in absolutely necessary “cases. We in the city, have the famous Manda forests in which even now constructions are going on and roads constructed and trees are felled which puts question mark on the assertions of the Forest department. This chunk of the depleting forests area, the neutralizer of the pollution of the city to a larger extent, needs to be sustained and preserved and allowed for limited grazing only during winter months.
We need to educate our children in schools and colleges about trees, forests and environment for our survival by incorporating in the syllabus and curriculum, these very important subjects. We need to emulate the tradition in most of the southern states of our country to plant, grow and protect at least one tree in each household say a Peepal, an Ashoka, a mango, a poplar, a willow, a mulberry, and more importantly a Neem tree in respective parts of the state. Let us all , those in the Government and outside working in any area, students, professionals, businessmen, teachers, social activists and all of us to make our forests dark, green and deep so that we could our promises keep for the coming generations to enable them to reap.
Preserving forests in J&K
House Committee Report
More than a month has elapsed when the House Committee, constituted by the State Legislative Assembly, submitted its report to the Government. The Panel was constituted in the backdrop of increasing road accident on Jammu-Doda road with the terms of reference to examine the causes of frequent accident and corrective measures that the Transport Department would take. The Report has not dealt with only road accidents on road to Doda but has taken the entire issue of road accidents in the State into consideration and a holistic approach while making some serious and concrete suggestions. It is a matter of great concern that the frequency of accidents along the mountainous roads in the State is on the rise. Fundamental reforms are needed in the existing rules and procedures and a new approach to the problem. How long can we allow innocent lives to be wasted and families rendered destitute? There is no movement at the level of the Transport Department about implementation of the recommendations made by the Panel. The Minister for Transport has taken shelter behind the awaited report of M/S RITES to whom it has approached for advice. But what is the difficulty with the department if it issues orders that have nothing to do with financial implications and are strictly meant to enforce a code of conduct like medical check of drivers, authenticity of driving documents, overcrowding, loading passenger buses with loads at the top and so forth an so on. It is a mystery that the department is not interested in issuing simple orders of enforcement of patent rules of running a passenger bus on these roads.
Starving the administration
IAS, IPS or IFS are high sounding words. People associate a mystique of power and position with these abbreviated nomenclatures. They trace their origin to the British Raj when it was called Indian Civil Service. Being the class of officers created to carry out administrative functions of a colonial power, the ICS officers had created an aura of grandeur, influence and position around them. Their lifestyle was imperialist in all of its manifestations and those who worked under them, the vast army of slaves, could behave in no other way. Soon after independence, somebody asked then Home Minister, Sardar Patel, known as the Iron Man, what he would be doing with the ICS cadres, who, as common knowledge goes, did not show much sympathy with the freedom movement. The Sardar made a historic comment. “I would sure want to shoot them but who will run the government?” The difference between the ICS bureaucrats of Sardar’s days and IAS of our times is this that while the former were dedicated to their colonial masters, the latter are predominantly obsessed with their self interests. But stop a while. We are not generalizing the theory; we know that a fairly good number of IAS, IPS and IFS officers are nationalists, efficient in their profession, dedicated and committed to their job profile. Many of them have been men and women of honesty and integrity and thus retained the ordinary peoples’ faith in executive.
Deputations are a routine in All India Services and every state has a sanctioned strength of deputation quota in its bureaucracy. Babus proceed on deputations or study leave and return to deliver in their respective states after completion of the period. Things are a little different in J&K which has, over the years, become a haven of “cooling period” for bureaucrats.
Here we are talking about 18 out of a total of 30 top rung IAS officers allotted to J&K Cadre who have, through influence or their smartness or through the kid-glove handling of the State government, managed to get themselves adjusted in different positions in New Delhi to keep away from the dirt and din of a state disturbed by terrorist activities for last over two decades. Since there is lack of dedication in them, they manage to be in the corridors of power in New Delhi to satisfy their ego and to escape sharing responsibility of helping the State return to normalcy. Despite efforts by the State Chief Minister to streamline administration and defreeze the adhocism and stop-gap arrangement, that have become regular features of the government, his persuasion has not brought very satisfactory results. About a dozen of them were called back but after passing the “cooling period” here many of them managed to give one more slip to the State and return to their comfortable nests in the capital city of New Delhi.
One debilitating consequence of this kind of escapism is that the government is forced to give the charge of their assignments to lower cadres who are kept in their own pay and grade as per rules, but in practice enjoy all the perks that would accrue to a regular incumbent at the higher post. This is how adhocism is promoted all to the detriment of efficient administration. Quite naturally this creates groups with vested interests within the administrative structure and then politicians and other influential persons form a nexus of their own. This is an unhealthy trend and the Chief Minister finds himself at loss how to deal with such cadres who show little commitment either to the state government or to the people. Escapism of the higher cadres is solely responsible for the stop gap arrangement and induction of non-professionals into service who are unable to deliver the goods. Since they have the patronage of politicians that are part of the nexus and the immediate bosses in the hierarchy, these half-baked babus enjoy the best of both the worlds. It is all to the loss of the state and the people. What can a Chief Minister do when a senior rank bureaucrat has no commitment to the State, to the people and to his own conscience?
IAS, cadres are imparted professional training and expertise and that is very right. But at no stage are they lectured exhaustively on the need of breaking away from the mindset of ICS cadres of British colonial days and adapting themselves to a new phenomenon of India in making. We all agree that the tight jacket administrative norms established originally by the British for ruling over enslaved India need to be radically reformed. In Afghanistan, when a top bureaucrat enters his office chamber for routine work, he first hugs his footman and asks him about the welfare of his family. But once he takes his seat in the chamber, the footman is a footman and the officer is an officer. This is the mindset of free and un-enslaved nations. Our bureaucrat expects his footman to bow and prostrate and fold his hands and meekly open the door for the Sahab Bahadur. Our cadres lack socialization; they labour under superiority complex, and in the process many of them become the victims of split personality.
Escapism among IAS officers major cause of adhocism
18 in top layer of 30 IAS officers on Central deputation, Delhi posting
Excelsior Special Correspondent
JAMMU, May 6: Leave and deputations of various types is a routine feature in State bureaucracy and All India Services but Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented escapism among babus in Omar Abdullah-led coalition Government. With one or the other reason—some would call it excuse—as many as 18 bureaucrats in the top rung of 30 are currently either on Central deputation or a New Delhi posting, with or without their choice. This does not essentially lead to adhocism and stop gap arrangement in the non-IAS and other State services but sets a trend of harnessing or burdening public servants with multiple portfolios.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s sustained efforts to bring back at least 10 of these ‘deputationists’ have not born fruit. Some of them returned but went back after brief spells of ‘cooling period’. Sections in bureaucracy insist that egoism of certain influential politicians and top ranking bureaucrats is a major reason of the exodus of babus. They assert that escapism has never been in the blood of Indian bureaucracy and officers of central civil and police services have not shied away from working in the worst possible hostile conditions in the insurgency riddled J&K, Punjab and North-East in the last 30 years.
Why does, then, every other IAS officer look towards Delhi?
Most of the Ministers seem to be unanimous over the impression that many of the IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers don’t have a strong commitment to their allotted State. Examples are galore where these officers have never or seldom taken a challenging field posting. There are Principal Secre-taries and Commissioner-Secretaries, IGPs and DIGs, CCFs and CFs who have spent most of their initial 20 years of service outside Jammu & Kashmir. They have been intermittently surfacing in Srinagar and Jammu with varied intervals but by the time people here begin remembering their names, they land back in a ‘Central deputation’. They have no hesitation to call their days in J&K as ‘cooling period’.
Of the 18 IAS officers posted outside J&K, quite a number have managed to extend their period of deputation or New Delhi posting with different reasons and excuses. Two-and-a-half years short of his superannuation, Parvez Dewan has been officially on ‘study leave’ for the last seven years now. His chances of returning to J&K appear to be remote as, being now an empanelled Secretary to Government of India (Secretary Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs), he can not come back for any posting other than the State’s Chief Secretary.
Other IAS officers of the rank of Financial Comm- issioner, Principal Sec- retary and Commissioner-Secretary in J&K Govern- ment include Anil Goswami (Special Secretary in Ministry of Home Affairs), Pankaj Jain, Arun Kumar (with his 1979 IAS batch mate and wife Sonali Kumar holding a nominal posting in Resident Comm- issioner’s office in New Delhi), P G Dhar Chakravarty, A K Angurana, Khurshid Ahmad Ganai, Rakesh Kumar Gupta, L D Jha, P K Tripathi, S K Naik, Arun Kumar Mehta, Umang Narula, Raj Kumar Goel (Principal Resident Com- missioner), Ashok Parmar and Dheeraj Gupta. A number of IAS officers, falling in middle rungs of bureaucracy like Rohit Kansal and Shailendar Kumar, have also exhausted their period and managed to extend their Central deputation.
In IFS too, quite a large number of senior and middle ranking officers are currently on Central deputation and in no mood to return back to Jammu and Kashmir. One of them was posted as CCF Eco Forest during his ‘cooling period’ but did not work for a day till he returned back to another Central deputation. With that, prose and poetry of ‘Eco Tourism’ among the bureaucrats and politicians died its own death. Another couple of IFS officers, Mohit Gera and Neelu Gera, are known for their enchantment with Dehradun.
It is natural that when multiple portfolios of the men in top rungs of IAS, IPS and IFS becomes a routine, local officers—particularly those in KAS, different non-KAS State services, including PDD, PWD, Forest and Health—struggle to get for themselves ‘additional charge’ of vacant positions. Many of them find it easy to secure charge of higher substantive positions, one rank up or even two rank up, as “stop gap arrangement”. It is because of this that many of the State’s Assistant Engineers function as Executive Engineers, Super- intendent Engineers and Chief Engineers on “temporary basis”.
“They remain officially posted in their own pay and grade but enjoy all privileges of Chief Engineers”, said an insider. He counted dozens of the Assistant Directors functioning as Directors and Range Officers and ACFs working as Divisional Forest Officers without their substantive elevation to higher positions. It has been observed that Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) do not meet or clear the officials for promotion for several years. Even in police and many other departments, in-situ promotion of officials (a matter of right after putting in nine years of continuous, unblemished regular service) does not happen until recommendations pour in from officers and politicians.
Amid zero-accountability, senior officers and bureaucrats manning top positions in different departments find themselves under no compulsion or constraint to refer vacancies to Public Service Commission and non-gazetted recruiting agencies. When, sometimes, they are pulled up, albeit non-seriously, by the Government, they refer a few vacancies and conceal others. Some of them succeed in misleading their political bosses with misinterpretation of some Planning Commission of India directives for stabilization of non-plan expenditure. With over 40,ooo existing posts being vacant and no reorganization happening in departments in the last 30 or 40 years, these ‘babus’ convince even the Chief Minister that PC had called for “strict austerity in appointments”.
As this malaise remains unchecked, a many departments and Government organisations—most disturbingly PDD and Forest—have exhausted their professional and technical manpower. Had the Government not recruited 40 ACFs (many of them had already gone to more prestigious fields) and 9 Range Officers, that happened just one after 1984, Forest and related departments, including State Forest Corporation, would have to be locked for want of a single technically trained officer in the next 10 years.
There are clear indications that many of the politicians and officials have discovered a goldmine of vested interest in the existing era of escapism of IAS, IPS and IFS officers and the adhocism and “stop gap arrangement” that is eating into the vitals of State services for decades now. It has come to Omar Abdullah’s Government by default and inheritance.
People of extensive exposure in the matters of governance and administration believe that this rot would have to be arrested in a no-nonsense manner and with clarity of political will, encapsulated in the ruling National Conference’s Election Manifesto as well as Vision Document. One-time absorption of all technically trained professionals, whose number is believed to be less than 5,000 currently, is projected as the solution. DPCs in all departments shall have to be conducted in a timeframe and officials promoted to substantive positions.
J&K suffers record Rs 1900 cr worth power losses
Huge mismatch between purchase bill, revenue
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 6: Losses on account of purchase and supply of electricity in the State have touched an all time high at about Rs 1900 crore during just ended financial year of 2011-12 and were pegged to cross Rs 2000 crore in the current fiscal year of 2012-13 due to gross mismatch between revenue collection and power purchase.
Official figures worked out by the State Government revealed that the Power Development Department had to purchase electricity worth Rs 3100 crore from different Grids and power stations during 2011-12, which was an all time record. During 2010-11, the State had purchased power worth about Rs 2800 crore.
“As against Rs 3100 crore worth power purchase bill, the State collected Rs 1203 crore only as power revenue. Of Rs 1203 crore worth collections, Rs 1000 crore came as electricity charges and Rs 203 crore as electricity duty’’, official sources told the Excelsior.
This left a deficit of about Rs 1900 crore in power purchase bill and revenue including electricity duty generated from the power supply, sources said, adding that such huge losses on account of power were become “unbearable for the Government’’ especially when there seemed to be no respite from this even during current financial year of 2012-13.
The State Government had fixed a target of Rs 1600 crore revenue generation from electricity for last financial year that ended on March 31. However, the Department fell short of target by Rs 400 crore.
Despite heavy losses on account of electricity, the PDD’s revenue of Rs 1203 crore during last financial year was about Rs 300 crore more than 2010-11 when Rs 900 crore worth revenue was realized. Though there had been improvement in revenue realization, still it fell short of target and well short of the power purchase bill.
For the current financial year, the Government was likely to revise revenue target for the PDD at Rs 1800 crore in view of increase effected in all kind of electricity charges recently.
Sources said last financial year’s power purchase bill had been kept in the initial budgetary estimates at Rs 2600 crore. In the revised budgetary estimates, it was taken to Rs 3000 crore and finally the PDD ended up with purchasing electricity worth Rs 3100 crore as against Rs 1203 crore worth revenue, leading to a deficit of about Rs 1900 crore, which was an all time high.
There appeared to be no respite for the Government on the losses on electricity front even during current financial year, sources said, adding the Government was expecting deficit between power purchase and power revenue bill to cross Rs 2000 crore for the first time during 2012-13.
For 2012-13, the budgetary estimates on account of power purchase bill have been fixed at Rs 3000 crore but the authorities anticipated them to touch around Rs 3300 crore. Though the power revenue has been targeted at Rs 1600 crore, the Government was not expecting it to cross Rs 1300 crore, sources said, adding that this would lead to a deficit of Rs 2000 crore.
It may be mentioned that a high level delegation of the State in its first meeting with the officials of the Planning Commission of India to discuss annual plan for 2012-13 on December 15, 2011 had apprised the Planning Commission that the State’s power revenue was also increasing but a big gap remained between power bill and revenue as it can’t initiate all reforms in one go.
“It was in view of this that the State Government had also batted for annual power reforms grant to the tune of Rs 2000 crore for few years till the State managed to bring reforms and improve its revenue base’’, sources said, adding that the Planning Department assured to give a thought to the State’s demand.
Worthwhile to mention here that J&K Government was given Rs 1300 crore worth annual power reforms grant for three years in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 after Congress leader and present Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad had taken over as the Chief Minister on November 2, 2005 for two and a half years. The grant was later stopped as the Government didn’t take significant power reforms then.
The State delegation would again project the demand with the Planning Commission of India during its next round of meeting in New Delhi for annual plan finalisation, sources said.
They added that despite suffering heavy losses on account of power purchase bill, the State won’t be in a position to provided round-the-clock power supply to Jammu during summer and Kashmir during winter including the fully metered areas. The PDD had to go for both scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, they said.
8000 NYC volunteers to launch State-wide agitation
Jehangir Rashid
SRINAGAR, May 6: Around 8,000 National Youth Corps (NYC) volunteers working as support staff in different Government departments today threatened to launch state-wide agitation and come on roads if the state Government did not extend their contracts beyond two years.
The volunteers have also taken strong exception to the recent Government directive asking Graduates among them to enroll under the ‘Udaan’ scheme launched by the Union Government for the skilled unemployed youth of the State.
Talking to Excelsior, Mudasir Hassan, State President, NYC Volunteers Association said that despite many verbal assurances the formal orders for extending their contracts have not been issued yet. He said the youth have been exploited by the State Government adding the Government wanted to create division among their ranks.
“We were appointed as support staff in the different Government departments, but as on date the NYC volunteers carry out most of the work in the Government departments. Logic and reasoning demanded a fair deal with us but that has not happened. The Government wanted to shunt us out but we are going to give them a tough fight,” said Mudasir.
He said that the State Government should issue formal orders for the extension of their contracts by June 2 adding that failure in this respect would force them to come on roads and lodge their protest. He said as the contracts are going to terminate phase wise by December this year a huge force of idle human resource would come up across the State.
“The contracts of NYC volunteers engaged in Srinagar district is expiring on June 3. The State Government should as such issue formal orders for the extension of contracts of these people. But as nothing has been done so far we fear the Government wanted to shut door on us. This is sheer discrimination and we will fight against it,” said Mudasir.
Tanveer Ahmad, another NYC volunteer said the Government has asked the graduate volunteers to fill up the form and register under ‘Udaan’ scheme. He said since the scheme is a private initiative there is no need for a youth to first work as NYC volunteer and then try his luck with this scheme.
“The Government wanted to create confusion among the ranks of NYC volunteers and it is due to this reason only they want us to fill up the forms of Udaan scheme. No volunteer should fill up this form so that a strong message is given to the Government that the youth didn’t want to be exploited,” said Tanveer.
The NYC volunteers said that Youth Services and Sports Minister, R. S Chib has on the floor of the house assured the members that their contracts would be extended beyond two years. They said that Chib reiterated this commitment some time back while attending a youth programme held here.
“The Government should come out clear on this issue and they should extend our contracts without any further delay. In case there is more delay we would be forced to launch an agitation and come on streets. State-wide protests would be held and the Government would be responsible for the consequences thereof,” said the NYC volunteers.
Prez race: UPA placed comfortably
NEW DELHI, May 6:
Contrary to earlier speculation, the Congress-led UPA appears to be placed in a comfortable position for getting its nominee elected to the President’s post, thanks apparently to some sharp remarks from BJP’s Sushma Swaraj rejecting a candidate from the ruling party.
A couple of months ago, political circles were agog with permutations and combinations on the President’s election suggesting a possible ganging up of non-UPA parties to stall a UPA nominee from getting into Rashtrapati Bhavan.
However, things appear to have changed suddenly with a surprise statement by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Swaraj, who ruled out a consensus on the Presidential nominee.
As things stand today, in an electoral college of around 11 lakh votes, the UPA is almost certain to get the support of over 6.5 lakh votes, which includes those belonging to non-UPA parties like Left, SP, BSP and JD-U going by their public statements in last few days.
It remains to be seen whether BJP and its allies or a third front of parties comprising non-UPA and non-NDA outfits will still force a contest in case Congress chooses Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as its candidate.
Swaraj took political parties, including many in the BJP, by surprise when she rejected the possibility of backing either Mukherjee or Vice President Hamid Ansari for succeeding Pratibha Patil, whose term ends in July.
Swaraj reasoned out that the party was planning ahead for the 2014 election and so was not keen on playing ball with Congress. The BJP would not support Mukherjee because he is a Congressman and Ansari because he does not have the stature, she said.
This set off a chain of political reaction triggering divisions in the NDA while several other non-UPA parties also shedding their aversion to any Congress nominee.
First to express disapproval over Swaraj’s remarks was NDA constituent JD-U, which said what she stated was not its views.
The disapproval was voiced by JD-U President and NDA convenor Sharad Yadav, who said that the issue had not been discussed in the NDA. His reaction apparently came after Bihar Chief Minister and party leader Nitish Kumar conveyed his disapproval of the BJP leader’s statement.
Both had reportedly conveyed to BJP that Swaraj’s remarks on Mukherjee, a veteran politician with considerable standing and stature, and Ansari, who also has an unsullied reputation as a diplomat and scholar, were not acceptable.
Their party leader Shivanand Tiwari said as much on record that both Mukherjee and Ansari were good choices and the party would not be averse to supporting a consensus around them.
Similar views have also come out from Samajwadi Party and Left parties, who all are yet to take a formal stand but have indicated they have no objection to their candidatures.
An embarrassed BJP largely kept quite on Swaraj’s remarks but surprisingly one of its senior leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has come out to say that his party would prefer a consensus on an acceptable candidate, striking a note different from Swaraj.
Swaraj’s statement also consolidated opinion within the UPA on any candidate the Congress would choose. Important allies like DMK, NCP, RJD, RLD have come out in support of UPA candidates some of them particularly in favour of Mukherjee.
However, the second largest constituent of UPA Trinamool Congress is playing its cards close to the chest deliberately to keep the Congress guessing.
The ruling party in West Bengal has its own demands to make to the Centre like a financial package. Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee has even said that all options are open but observers believe that she may not be able to oppose either Mukherjee or Ansari for it cannot afford to stall a Bengali becoming President for the first time or a Muslim.
However, in all this, the Congress is yet to come out formally with its choice for the President’s post. Party leaders believe that Mukherjee’s utility as a troubleshooter for the government was enormous and it may not be in a position to spare him.
But some flippant remarks by one of its party spokespersons Renuka Chowdhary in this regard brought forth an assertion by another official spokesperson Rashid Alvi, who said that Mukherjee’s candidature cannot be ruled out.
Keen to ensure consensus across the political spectrum for the top constitutional post, Congress leaders are maintaining that it will be an UPA candidate and not just a Congress candidate.
With fissures in the NDA and even within the BJP over Swaraj’s remarks, the Congress is hoping that a consensus on it will even be reached with the main Opposition party in due course. (PTI)
House Panel recommendations remain in official files, no action on ground
Govt not bothered about unabated road accidents
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, May 6: Notwithstanding the concern expressed after each and every tragic mishap, the Government is seemingly little bothered about checking unabated road accidents in the State as even after the lapse of over one month the recommendations of the House Committee remain confined in the official files and nobody seems serious even to implement those suggestions of the panel which require only issuance of formal orders by the Administrative Departments.
Though the House Committee was constituted to look into the causes of frequent road accidents in erstwhile Doda district only yet the panel touched this grave issue in its entirety and made comprehensive recommendations, which if implemented can help in checking road accidents not only in erstwhile Doda district but across the State.
But after the tabling of House Committee report in the Legislative Assembly nobody from the concerned departments felt it appropriate to start follow up action on the panel’s recommendations despite the fact that there is no let up in the tragic road accidents.
What to talk of implementing those recommendations which require resources and time even those suggestions, which can be implemented simply by way of issuing formal orders by the Administrative Departments, have not received any attention till date.
“The recommendations pertaining to the Transport Department, which can be immediately implemented just with the formal directions from the senior officers that too without putting any financial burden on the State exchequer, include holding trials of the drivers having licenses to drive passenger service vehicles by a special team, constitution of special team of Medical Officers for issuance of fresh medical certificates to passenger service vehicle drivers of the specified area to rule out their addiction to drugs, alcohol or other intoxicants”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
Similarly, the recommendations regarding imposition of ban on further issuance of licenses to drive passenger service vehicle without successful completion of professional training in driving schools, framing time table for operation of passenger service vehicles to avoid overloading, display of particulars of driver including his license number at a proper place in the passenger service vehicles, prohibiting driving of a passenger service vehicle without a conductor as prescribed under rules and imposition of ban on plying of four wheeled base matadors in the hilly districts, have not received any attention of Transport Department despite the fact that these too don’t require any major efforts, sources further said.
Notwithstanding the fact that recommendations of the House Panel vis-à-vis State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) are of much importance in checking the road accidents, not even one of them has so far received required attention.
Contrary to the urgency projected by the panel, SRTC has not restored the fleet position of 2009-10 with the addition of 34 new vehicles despite the lapse of over one month. Similar is the fate of other vital suggestions which include setting up of workshops in erstwhile Doda district for immediate repairs of the vehicles.
Likewise Transport Department and SRTC, the Home Department has also not taken any step to implement the recommendations of the House Panel particularly those which don’t require any major initiative, sources said. These recommendations pertain to checking and preventing loading of material, particularly the commercial goods on the roof tops of the passenger vehicles, highway patrolling by special traffic squad, enforcement of time table of all passenger service vehicles and to prevent diversion of routes by SRTC and other transport agencies having specific route permits.
Health Department, which has a vital role to play in post-tragic accidents stage, has too not followed the recommendations of the House Panel so far, sources said, adding “no step has so far been initiated to provide sufficient manpower in the existing accidental and trauma hospitals particularly in the erstwhile Doda district”.
“If the Government can be so casual in implementing the short term recommendations how can one expect it to vigorously follow the long term measures”, sources asked.
When contacted, Minister for Transport, Qamar Ali Akhoon said, “we are awaiting for the report of M/s RITES, which has been assigned the task of preparing Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for both the Capital Cities”, adding “we will together study the CMP and report of House Panel before starting implementation of recommendations one by one”.
In response to a question, the Minister expressed his inability to specify the time-frame within which M/s RITES will submit the report vis-à-vis short term measures.
“If the House Committee recommendations have to wait for the preparation of CMP then what was the utility of constituting the panel”, sources asked.
Clinton to ask India to cut oil imports from Iran
KOLKATA, May 6:
Pressing India to further reduce oil imports from sanctions-hit Iran tops the agenda of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who flew into Kolkata today at the start of a three-day visit to India.
The US has been urging India and other countries to slash oil imports from Iran aimed at stepping up pressure on Tehran to comply with international demands over its nuclear programme.
India, which imports 80% of its crude oil and relies on Tehran for 12% of those imports, has said it needed to continue to buy Iranian oil to meet its domestic requirements.
Though India has publicly not said it was aiming to cut back on oil imports from Iran, the country’s top oil importers have been pushed to reduce Iranian oil imports by 15-20 per cent.
Crude imports from Iran fell to 18.5 million tons in 2010-11 from 21.2 million tons in 2009-10. Last fiscal (2011-12), Iranian oil imports dropped to less than 16 million tons. This year they may further come down to 14 million tons.
India’s top importers – Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) and Essar Oil will both cut Iranian oil imports this fiscal. MRPL plans to reduce Iranian oil buy to less than 100,000 barrels per day from 142,000 bpd while Essar Oil plans a 15% cut to 85,000 bpd from 100,000 bpd.
The US State Department said in March that 12 countries, including India and China, were at risk of sanctions because of purchases of Iranian oil.
US officials, who declined to be named, told the press travelling with Clinton that Washington’s assessment is that India was working satisfactorily in this direction. “But we really need to receive assurances that they are going to continue to make good progress,” they said.
The US feels that on India’s part the “trend lines are good” and Clinton during talks with Indian leaders is likely to nudge them to consider options for oil import other than Iran.
India has increased oil imports from Saudi Arabia, its largest supplier of crude oil, to meet the shortfall from Iran.
Though admitting that the US and India were not on the same page on Iran, an official source said both sides are expected to discuss the issue and put forth each other’s positions during parleys in Delhi.
The US, which has imposed sanctions against Tehran, has been asking India to restrict its import of crude oil from Iran but New Delhi has been maintaining that it only accepts sanctions by the United Nations and not unilateral sanctions.
Clinton, who arrived here after visits to China and Bangladesh, will meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had effectively stalled UPA Government’s efforts last year for FDI in retail.
Clinton, who had earlier been to the city after Mother Teresa’s death in 1997 as the First Lady of the United States of America, was received by senior State Government officials and US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell.
She is scheduled to attend a programme at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on issues relating to women. She would later visit the Victoria Memorial.
She would leave for Delhi after meeting the Chief Minister at the State secretariat, Writers Buildings, tomorrow.
Civil nuclear cooperation, regional security and Iran are among the key issues that Clinton is expected to discuss with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna during their meeting in Delhi on Tuesday.
During her stay in the national capital, she is expected to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apart from holding talks with Krishna, during which they will also review progress made in their countries’ strategic partnership ahead of the India-US strategic dialogue to be held in Washington on June 13.
The meeting between Clinton and Indian leaders gains significance as it comes immediately after her high-level talks in China and ahead of the crucial NATO summit in Chicago, where some important decisions are expected to be made on Afghanistan.
“The entire gamut of bilateral relationship apart from all those issues which impinge on the Indo-US partnership will be discussed,” the source said.
New Delhi’s controversial proposals on retroactive taxation may also be raised by the US side.
Both sides will discuss civil nuclear cooperation and regional security situation with New Delhi expected to brief the US Secretary on its proposed regional investors’ meet here to discuss economic development of Afghanistan, sources said. (PTI)
43 Raje loyalists offer to quit
JAIPUR, May 6: As the feud in Rajasthan BJP intensified, over 43 MLAs loyal to sulking leader Vasundhara Raje today offered to resign, but the party played down the crisis and her threat to quit the organisation.
A day after Raje threatened to leave the BJP over State leader Gulabchand Kataria’s proposed political campaign, her aide claimed that 43 MLAs, including 2 independents, submitted their resignation to Raje expressing confidence in her leadership, with some even demanding that she be declared the Chief Ministerial candidate for assembly polls due next year.
BJP has a strength of 79 in the 200-member Rajasthan assembly.
At the meeting of core committee yesterday, Raje, who is Leader of Opposition in Rajasthan Assembly, had objected to Kataria’s plan to take out “Lok Jagran Yatra” which was seen by a section in BJP as a move to project himself as the party’s Chief Ministerial face. Following this, Kataria had cancelled his programme.
But the BJP today denied that there was a rift in the State unit and asserted that there was “no question of Raje quitting”.
“You can’t call difference of opinion as a rift. In a democratic party, people do have different perceptions on a given situation. Vasundhara ji is a very respected and senior leader of the party and there is nothing like a rift,” party leader Balbir Punj said.
“BJP is one and it will unitedly face the Congress in Rajasthan. There is no question of Vasundharaji quitting,” he said.
Raje, who had yesterday said that she would resign from the party’s membership if Kataria did not withdraw his decision to take out the yatra, today said the issue was an “internal matter”.
“It is our party’s internal matter and we will resolve it,” Raje told reporters.
Along with the legislators, office bearers and members of the BJP Yuva Morcha also handed over their resignation, Raje’s aide said.
The lawmakers are now demanding that Raje be declared as “undisputed” Chief Ministerial candidate for next assembly polls, he said.
The party leaders began to arrive at Raje’s official residence in civil lines since morning and shouted slogans in her support.
“The MLAs want undisputed leadership of Raje,” legislator Bhawani Singh Rajawat told reporters outside Raje’s residence.
Besides Rajawat, Kiran Maheshwari, Rajpal Singh Shekhawat, Mohan Lal Gupta, Om Birla, Radheyshyam Ganganagar, Kalyan Singh, Prabhu Saini, Abdul Sageer Khan are among the MLAs who submitted their resignation to Raje, he said.
Kisan Morcha vice president Subhash Mehriya said that the the central leadership should announce Raje’s name as the Chief Ministerial candidate in the assembly polls due next year.
Terming the opposition to his proposed ‘yatra’ as “unfortunate”, Kataria, who was Rajasthan Home Minister in the previous Government headed by Raje, today said that some of the party leaders deliberately made his campaign an “ego” issue though it was actually aimed at benefiting the party.
Kataria rubbished allegations that it was aimed at projecting himself as the party’s face in the state and claimed that his 28-day-long campaign was to highlight the “failure” of Congress at both centre and State level in giving pro-people policies, programmes and good governance.
“It is very unfortunate that a campaign which was aimed at strengthening party in Mewar region, which plays key role in elections, was objected without any sound logic. It was not my personal decision, it was planned with consultation the party’s state leadership,” Kataria told. (PTI)