Round The States

New Delhi, 5 April, 2013 

Lal Batti & VIP Security

SC RAPS CENTRE, STATES

By Insaf

Three cheers to the Supreme Court. It has given both the Centre and States a sharp rap, bringing smiles to the common man across the country. Making a note of the menace of red beacon lights (lal batti) and sirens on vehicles, a two-member Bench on Thursday last, directed the governments to take remedial steps by mid-July. Else it would pass appropriate orders. Its reasoning: “The general public hates vehicles with red beacons and siren mainly because of the brazen manner in which the police stops them to allow the VIP's car to have a smooth passage. Removal of the red beacon and siren will bring everyone at par though it may hurt some egos for some time.” Additionally it sought amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act and Rules as barring top constitutional authorities and emergency services such as ambulances, fire brigades and Army, there was no need for others to use it. The Court also questioned the grave misuse of security for “VIPs” and asked why the State should bear these expenses to those with criminal cases? “If they want they can have their own security. If somebody is facing serious criminal charges like murder, are we to assume they are absolutely falsely implicated? Similarly, businessmen and corporates should spend their own money if they need security....” Hope India can see less flaunting of “status symbol”.

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Gujarat’s Lokayukta Check

Gujarat’s claim of good governance may have just taken a beating. The State Assembly passed the Gujarat Lokayukta Aayog Bill 2013 on Tuesday last, has raised serious doubts about being effective. Despite denial by the ruling BJP, the new Bill among other debatable provisions seeks to appoint a Lokayaukta who may well turn out to be a lackey of the Chief Minister. For the moment, the big boss being Narendra Modi. Harsh as it may sound, it’s an interpretation of the selection procedure. The Lokayukta shall now be appointed on the recommendation of a selection committee, headed by the CM, instead of the Governor in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court. The explanation offered is that the selection process would not get vitiated by the whims and fancies of a single individual! Further, while the BJP boasts of the CM coming under the ombudsman jurisdiction, it doesn’t share that the Bill also gives the Government the powers to “exclude any public functionary” from it. While the opposition Congress has threatened to launch an agitation against the Bill, the big question is whether Governor Kamla Beniwal will give assent. The bitter battle over Lokayukta’s appointment is with Modi is rather fresh. Who will have the last laugh?

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Naxal-States Better Equipped

Naxal-hit States of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar can hope to look forward to better days ahead. The Centre has finally acted upon its commitment to raise anti-Naxal special forces there. On Tuesday last, not only did the Union Home Ministry get the nod but also an additional kitty of Rs 280 crores to set these up within a timeframe of six months as well upgrade infrastructure and weaponry. At the same time, the States too need to chip in – Rs 93 crore and to follow set guidelines if they already have a similar force in place.  The reorientation would need to be on lines of the special unit of ‘Greyhounds’ in Andhra Pradesh, which has shown an encouraging success rate in battling the Maoist menace. The four States should now be rearing to go. Sooner the better.

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WB Custodial Death?

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has invited trouble yet again. The death of an activist of the SFI in Kolkata during a protest is mired in controversy. The TMC supremo has only made matters worse. While the police claim the youth died in an accident while being taken to the police station, the SFI and its parent body, CPM alleged he was beaten to death in custody and have demanded a judicial probe. Mamata shockingly has rubbished the incident by stating: “It’s a small and petty matter... It was an accident, there was no police atrocity. You can see the post mortem report.” The remark has sparked an outrage in the city, even amongst her party members. A Trinamool student leader has quit the party and in far away Delhi, students of JNU and SFI protested at Bengal Bhawan. The signs don’t augur well for Mamata’s government. Close to the panchayat elections, the Left Front is bound to seek maximum mileage. However, much depends upon the State Human Rights Commission investigation. It took suo moto notice of the case and also asked the police to submit its report within a week. More than anyone else, Mamata would be anxiously keeping a watch.  

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Kerala Worried

Kerala government is both frowning and worried like hell. A new labour law in Saudi Arabia which entails companies to hire one local for every 10 expatriates is giving Chief Minister Oommen Chandy sleepless nights. This is so because of the 1.5 million Indians working in Saudi, a big bulk comes from the States. As per data available the workforce from Kerala alone comprises some 6,00,000-odd people, which would account for a whopping Rs 55,000 crores being sent back home as remittance. This apparently, may well be the largest inflow of foreign exchange that the State receives, thus forcing Chandy to petition New Delhi to find a way out. The visit was not a futile exercise. The Centre is preparing to send a ministerial delegation under Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi to Riyadh to find some solution. For the moment, the Government will try to impress on the Saudi Government to stagger its decision, allow those being laid off to find jobs in neighbouring countries or in the worst case scenario make arrangements for their return. Fingers are crossed for a miracle.        

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CAG Raps Delhi Govt

Delhi government has reason to sulk. The recent report of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) has given it a hard rap over the functioning of various departments. Tabled in the Assembly, the report for 2011-12, is bound to be welcomed by the Delhites in the hope that the ruling Congress makes amends. Specially refreshing would the CAG’s indictment of the  Government for extending “undue benefits amounting to over Rs 700 crore to private discoms”, thereby giving credence to allegations of a nexus between the two and imposing high power tariff on the poor citizens. This apart, the CAG has revealed: projects to provide housing to slum-dwellers never took off and that only 10,684 units out of the sanctioned 1,10584 were completed; ambulances were not fully equipped but worse were being used for miscellaneous purposes rather than for patients; the PWD failed to penalise contractors  for delays in project completion amounting to a loss of Rs 11.19 crore; the Delhi Jal Board lost Rs 3,950 crore to short billing and that 28.4 per cent of residents still did not get piped water supply etc. It’s obvious that the Sheila Dikshit Government will pick holes in the report. Who will have the last word, is worth a watch.---INFA

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