Round The States
New Delhi, 13 September 2013
“Death To All”
DELHI COURT BESTOWS JUSTICE
By Insaf
Delhi’s fast-track court
deserves kudos. It’s “death to all” verdict in the brutal gang-rape case, which
shook the nation in December last, has finally given justice -- to the soul of
the young para-medical student, her family and the millions of citizens who
demanded it. On Friday last, the judge justified awarding death penalty to the
four convicts stating that the offence falls under “inhuman nature of the
convicts” and its gravity “cannot be tolerated.” Indeed, the crime in every way
falls within the rarest of rare category warranting a death sentence. While the
verdict has to be confirmed by the High Court and the defence lawyers are bound
to appeal against it, the families on both sides will not be alone in following
the case. People, both young and old across the country have a stake involved.
With crime against women on the rise, and rape cases hitting headlines every
other day, the verdict for the moment should be seen as another watershed. The
gang-rape case had made people come out on the streets in anger in nearly every
State. The punishment, it is hoped would act like a deterrent and help ensure
our society is spared facing such a barbaric crime again. Undeniably, it is a
balm, which should not be wiped off.
* * * *
UP’s Lethal Politics
Uttar Pradesh’s father-son duo of Mulayam Singh Yadav and
Akhilesh seem to have bitten off more than they can chew. The Muzaffarnagar
communal carnage leaving over 44 dead, 10,000 families displaced and houses
burnt could well boomerang on the ruling Samajwadi Party. Initially, it seemed
that Muzaffarnagar was the testing ground for the SP-BJP to corner their
respective vote banks -- Muslims and Hindus. Indeed for the first time the
district has witnessed Jat-Muslim riots. An angry Muslim clergy led by senior
State Minister Azam Khan has made its disenchantment with the SP Government
known with influential clergymen making plain that the community might not vote
for the party, while the Jats are inclined towards the BJP instead of the Ajit
Singh’s RJD. Mayawati’s BSP intends cashing in on disillusionment.
Unfortunately, the Congress too failed to use this to wean away the minority
community. Music to BJP’s ears. Sadly, Muzaffarnagar is the first battle ground
for the parties to test political waters prior to General Election 2014. A classic case of ruthless vote bank politics
over dead bodies!
* * * *
Relief For Street Vendors
Street vendors and hawkers across the country have reason to
cheer. Put an end to their harassment, is the Supreme Court’s diktat to all
States and Union Territories. On Wednesday last, the
Governments were directed to allow existing street vendors/hawkers to operate
“till the exercise of registration and creation of vending/hawking zones is
completed in terms of the Centre’s 2009 policy”. A tall order, as it entails
setting up of Town Vending Commitees (TVCs) in each town, consisting of
representatives of organizations and street vendors (30% women), which shall have the final say in
their entitlement to operate. Importantly, Chief Secretaries and administrators
have got a four-month deadline to complete registration. Will the
vendors/hawkers raw deal end? Perhaps, as the court’s intention is to stop
their misery: of being “constantly victimized by local authorities, police,
etc., who target them for extra income and treat them with extreme contempt.”
Time will tell whether they can live with dignity and self-respect.
* * * *
Bihar In Big Trouble
Bihar is heading towards big
trouble. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has warned the Nitish Kumar
Government that unless it takes corrective steps to upgrade flight safety at
the airport in Capital, Patna,
it would be forced to disallow big jets such as Airbus 320s and Boeings 737s
from operating there. The warning cannot be wished away as the State will have
to live with no air connectivity if only small aircraft are to land in Patna. It comes following
concerns raised by the audit team, International Civil Aviation Organisation,
which was shocked to note that Patna
airport was the only one in the country operating without a licence from the
regulator! Apparently, the airport has been compromising on safety aspects on
account of “short length of the runway, safety strips flanking it on either
side lacking width and trees obstructing the flight path.” The Government has
to get its act together. Else, Patna will have
to depend on the only other airport at Gaya,
which is connected by just one flight a day.
* * * *
J&K Yields to
Pressure
The sound of music has ironically left an eerie silence in
the Valley, Jammu & Kashmir. Since Zubin Mehta’s concert in Srinagar last week, the
Omar Abdullah Government has been kept on its toes. With the CRPF and the
police giving different versions on the firing, which killed four youth on the
day of the concert in Shopian town and another on Wednesday last, the
Government has yielded to pressure. With Srinagar
observing a bandh against the killings, it ordered the removal of the Gagren
CRPF camp in Shopian, replaced it with J&K Armed Police and re-imposed
curfew. Further, a magisterial inquiry has been ordered. Will it get to the
bottom of truth—the CRPF claimed that all four youth were militants while the
police assert that only one was. The people will have to wait for a month for
the report. Till then, the Government is keeping its fingers crossed that the
removal of the CRPF camp will help cool tempers.
* * * *
Maharashtrian Delight!
Maharashtra Government is the thick of a thoroughly amusing
tit-for-tat. The ruling Congress-NCP coalition, instead of the Opposition, is
quarrelling over languishing files. It all started with NCP supremo Sharad
Pawar taking a dig at Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (without naming him) at
a function in Pune, questioning the delay in clearing “important files” and
asking if the “hands of people in the administration were paralysed.” Clearly,
a not amused Chavan shot back saying he had to “differentiate between (matters
of) larger public interest and those of “individual nature.” But the issue has
become a wee-bit bitter. While the NCP
is learnt to have asked its ministers to prepare a department-wise list of all
proposals that have been put on hold during Chavan’s tenure, the Congress has
sought a list of proposals which have been delayed or dismissed by NCP’s
Finance Minister Ajit Pawar. From the outside it looks as though the two allies
are preparing for a break before Election 2014, but unlikely. At best, they
have started flexing muscles to garner a bigger share of the seat-sharing
formula pie. Who will have the last laugh, is worth a watch. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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