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Round The States
New Delhi, 29 September 2011
Flood Fury
ORISSA, BIHAR HELPLESS
By Insaf
Two Chief Ministers, Naveen Patnaik of Orissa and Bihar’s Nitish Kumar, find themselves unwittingly sailing
in the same boat. Their States are being ravaged by floods. Of the two, Orissa seems to be worst-hit wherein
over 2000 villages continue to be cut off from the Capital Bhubaneshwar
affecting over 59 lakh people, roughly 1/7th of the State’s population.
Already, 80 people have died and the figure continues to mount. Worse, relief
operations are hampered as both food and medicine packets dropped from
helicopters get washed away in the swelling rivers. Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik who pegs the loss at Rs.212 crores from this devastation, now intends
building permanent helipads in affected villages to overcome the supply of food
and medicines. Adding to the State’s woes, nearly 17 of the 30 districts are
facing drought-like conditions.
In Bihar, nearly 15 lakh
people have been affected by the floods, and thousands have been forced to flee
their homes and take shelter on high-rise embankments, national highways,
railway lines and in schools. Northern Bihar’s
Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi and Darbhanga districts are the worst-hit disrupting
road and rail communications. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after an aerial
survey has directed officials to speed up rescue and relief operations in the
affected areas as also arrange for medicines and DDT sprays to check outbreak
of diseases once the flood waters recede. All eyes are on the weather gods to
end this trail of death and misery.
* * * *
Guru’s Clemency
Postponed
The controversial Parliament attacker Afzal Guru’s clemency
resolution in the J&K Assembly has become a victim of party politics. Moved
by Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP and with NCP’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah telling his
MLAs to exercise their conscience vote, the Congress and BJP were caught in a
cleft stick. Clearly, both did not want the resolution to be passed for
different reasons and got the Assembly adjourned by creating ruckus. While the
11 BJP MLAs wanted the resolution dropped, Congressmen, including Ministers, sought
disqualification of their rivals who defied the Party whip in the vote to elect
a MLC. Clearly, the Congress, which did not have the courage to oppose a
resolution in the Tamil Nadu Assembly to pardon killers of its former PM Rajiv
Gandhi, does not seem to have the will to oppose Guru’s clemency resolution. As
passing it could face flack nationally. For the BJP, passing of this motion
would weaken its case for the President to reject Guru’s mercy petition,
pending before her. All seem to have conveniently bought time.
* * * *
Double Victory For
Mamata
It was a double victory for West Bengal’s
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Not only did she make her debut in the Assembly
by a huge margin but also her decision to repossess 997 acres in Singur leased
to Tata Motors by the Left Front Government was upheld by the Kolkata High
Court. Whereby the State Government’s Singur Land Rehabilitation and
Development Act 2011 --- under which the Government had taken over the land in
June, was constitutionally valid. Importantly, this is the first time that a
high court has given legal sanction to a Government decision to return acquired
land to farmers who had declined compensation. Needless to say this ruling will
have wide ramifications on future land acquisitions in West
Bengal, other States’ facing farmers’ wrath against land
compensation and even the Central Government’s new land policy.
* * * *
TDP’s MLAs Resign
The imbroglio over the creation of a new State Telengana is
getting murkier and murkier. With both the State Government and the Centre
dragging their feet, the MLAs and MPs from the region in Andhra, have upped the
ante and are busy putting pressure. Coupled with the ongoing indefinite strike now
in its 16th day in Capital Hyderabad leading to many a State
employees abstaining from work now 32 MLAs of the Opposition TDP have resigned
in support of the demand for a separate State. This is the second time that
these MLAs have sought to quit their seats after the Speaker rejected their
resignation in July. Adding to the Congress High Command and Chief Minister Kiran
Kumar Reddy’s woes is that its MLAs and MPs resignation is already pending with
the Speaker. This is not all. The people from the region are now getting
increasingly restless and have taken recourse to chakka jams and burning of Government properties. Tempers need to
be cooled urgently.
* * * *
Goa Mining Scam
After Karnataka, Goa is now
in the throes of a mining scam. In the eye of the storm is Congress Chief
Minister Digambar Kamat, who doubles up as the State’s Mining Minister, is
accused of colluding with the illegal mining firms. Virtually, turning a blind
eye to the brazen iron ore loot running into a whopping Rs.8000 crores. Adding
to Kamat’s woes, a scathing Public Accounts Committee report to be tabled on 5
October has alleged that Rs. 3500 crore worth of iron ore was exported without
the company paying royalty to the State Government. Besides, the Opposition ire,
Kamat’s partymen too are blaming him for turning a blind eye to this rampant
loot. It is a moot point how the Kamat emerges from this minefield of
allegations. Will this multi-thousand crore stink lead to the ignominious end
of his Chief Ministership?
* * * *
Killed For Mere
Rs.10
Life indeed comes cheap in India. On the heels of a toll Plaza
attendant in Gurgaon being murdered for Rs.27, a rickshaw puller was stabbed to
death for a mere Rs.10. Shockingly, this incident happened in Union Capital
Delhi. All over Rs.500 borrowed by the deceased from the accused a couple of
months back. Despite repeated request, the rickshaw puller’s inability to repay
the monies infuriated the killer, who following an altercation snatched all of
Rs.30 from the victim. His pleas to return at least Rs. 10 for food fell on
deaf ears and in a fit of rage the assassin stabbed him six times. So much for the Capital being a safe city!
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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