Round The States

New Delhi, 24 February 2011

Godhra Judgment

HISTORIC, WIN-WIN FOR ALL

By Insaf

Finally, the ghost of the 27 February 2002 Godhra carnage was laid to rest. In a historic 850-page judgment the Sessions Judge sentenced 31 and acquitted 63 people including prime accused Maulvi Omerjee for conspiring and torching the Sabarmati Express S-6 compartment killing 59 passengers, mostly kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya. This sparked off communal riots killing nearly 1,200 people, mostly Muslims. The trial one of the most controversial legal cases of independent India which saw many twists and turns went on for more than 18 months because of the legal battle between the Gujarat Government and many non-government organizations. More than 253 witnesses were examined during the trial and over 1,500 documentary evidences presented before the court on the incident. Significantly, virtually all legal point of the case were challenged in Court. Indeed, justice may have been late but not denied.

This is not all. Importantly, the judgment is historic for two reasons. One, in a country where conviction due to mob violence is unknown, it is a first of a kind where over 31 people have been convicted on serious charges of mob fury. Two, it has finally put to rest the brouhaha over two different commissions appointed to inquire into the Godhra train burning incident. While the Nanavati Commission, appointed by the Gujarat Government in 2002 concluded that the fire in the S-6 coach was not an accident, but was caused by throwing petrol inside it. The one-man UC Banerjee Commission appointed by the then Union Railway Minister Lalu Yadav in 2005 had said that fire was "accidental".  Clearly, the Godhra carnage has proven to be a turning point of contemporary Indian history --- to polarize public opinion between the country’s secular and communal ethos and credentials. Indeed, justice may have been late but not denied. A win-win situation for all!

*                                               *                                               *                                        *

Congress Rout In Five States

Bad news continues to follow the Congress in the latest round of Assembly by-polls in five States. Shockingly, the Party had to concede defeat to arch-rival BJP in two of its strongholds in Madhya Pradesh, besides losing one each in Jharkhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Worse, it had to bite dust in Manipur at the hands of ally Trinamool Congress. True, by-elections might not be the barometer of popular mood as they are guided by local factors. But the defeat should serve as a warning to the Party leadership that all is not well in these five States. Especially, the Madhya Pradesh rout in Kukshi, a constituency where it has been consecutively winning for the last 25 years. With Assembly elections due in five more States in May the Congress needs to tighten its belt and set its house in order.

*                                               *                                               *                                        *

Jharkhand’s River Of Agony

Jharkhand famous Damodar river basin a repository of approximately 46 per cent of the India’s coal reserves today resembles a sewage emitting obnoxious odours. Once known as 'river of sorrow' for its seasonal ravages, it has turned into a 'river of agony' for the local tribals who consider it sacred. Thanks to extensive coal mining, open cast mining, steel plants and vigorous industrialization, water resources have been badly contaminated. Most scandalously, the people per force have no option but to drink contaminated and polluted water leading to a sizeable population suffering from water-borne diseases, skin infection, typhoid et al. Worse, it has become an environmental hazard wherein huge amounts of overburden materials are dumped on the bank of the river and its tributaries, which finally spreads in the rivers. These activities have resulted in the visible deterioration of the quality of the river water. It remains to be seen if this State which boasts of black gold will beautify or blacken the lives of tribals?

*                                               *                                               *                                        *

Kerala Boasts Longest Bridge

God’s own country Kerala has made an indelible mark in Indian history. By building an engineering marvel, the longest rail bridge in the country at 4.62km. The bridge is a part of an 8.6-km railway link connecting Idapalli to Vallarpadam in Kochi home to the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT). This is not all. The bridge came up in a record 28 months at a cost of Rs 200 crore also boasts of green technology. The project will not only serve as the first SEZ port in the country, will eliminate trans-shipment of goods from Colombo port to Indian ports but also save the cost of transportation by $300 per container thus making export and import cheaper. From the scenic backwater to making splashes by building bridging, Kerala has come a long way!

*                                               *                                               *                                        *

Himachal Grant For Students

Happy times are here for 353 primary school students in Himachal. The State Government is all set to give a special “hardship allowance” of Rs.600/- per year to students as compensation for shutting down the schools with less than 10 per cent attendance. To avail this grant over 2300 students studying in these schools would now have to walk about 3 kms to the school near their residence. Accordingly, the State has decided to merge two primary schools within a distance of less than two kilometers so that students can avail better education opportunities. Significantly, Himachal is the first State to introduce this allowance as part of implementing the Right to Education Act.  Will other States follow suit?

‘Vibrant’ Bangalore

Karnataka can breathe easy on the infrastructure and job creation front. Its Capital tech hub Bangalore has topped the list in a new Morgan Stanley report on how India's booming cities cope with these problems. Followed by Pune in second place, Hyderabad in third while India’s Capital New Delhi ranked eighth. Not only that. In terms of modern consumer services and a city's ability to mobilise savings Bangalore too scored a first. The report found that the State’s second-tier city Mysore came in second place among the 50 most populated cities in the country. Shockingly, India's financial capital Mumbai trails at 21st place in a City Vibrancy Index (CVI). Any wonder Bangalore has been dubbed India’s "Silicon Valley"!---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)