Round The States

New Delhi, 11 September 2014

New Liquor Policy

SET BACK FOR KERALA GOVT

By Insaf

The Kerala Government received a major setback to its plans for total prohibition in the State.  Its order as per a new liquor policy to close down 730 bars, excluding five star hotels, from Friday last was put on hold till September 30 by none other than the Supreme Court. “If drinking is a social problem, then stop it for everyone,” was the reasoning. The bar owners had challenged the order saying it was discriminatory and questioned why five star hotels were exempt from the Government order. Taking cognisance, the court was firm: while drinking is a social problem and is ruining families, an abrupt halt, by shutting down certain establishments and leaving untouched five star hotels and toddy shops, is not the way to defeat it. It did make a note of the bar owners’ argument that a person can very well go to a toddy shop to buy liquor or go home and drink, putting a big question mark on the State Government goal of having total prohibition in the State in next 10 years. However, the bottomline was that it was unfair to distinguish between the rich and the poor. While, it would be worthwhile to keep a tab on the next hearing, the bar owners may have reason to have hope that their licences, valid till March 31, 2015 are not forfeited. At its end, the Kerala government should get its act together, hic!  

*                                               *                                               *                                               *

UP Police Gaffe?

The Uttar Pradesh Government and its police should be pink with embarrassment. By not doing its homework properly in the high-profile case of BJP President Amit Shah, the police have given the accused reason to smirk. A Lucknow court refused to take cognisance of the chargesheet against Shah for violation of the model code of conduct with his alleged infamous ‘hate speech’ in Muzaffarnagar made during the General elections campaign in April and handed it back to the police. The grounds being that police had not followed the provisions of 173(2) CrPc, wherein they did not try to arrest the accused before filing the chargesheet in court. Neither did the police seek warrant nor attachment proceedings against Shah, the court noted. The timing couldn’t have been better for the BJP and of course a setback for the ruling Samajwadi Party, which are vying for the byelections to 11 Assembly and one parliamentary seats toady. While the police needs to get its act together, the BJP viewed the chargesheet with contempt, saying it was sheer political vendetta. Will it pay off or will Shah have the last laugh, is worth a watch.

*                                               *                                               *                                               *

Jihadists Outreach In States

The Centre should be alarmed at the number of Indians being recruited by ISIS and Tehreek e Taliban. According to NIA figures, about 300-odd Mulsim youth hailing from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala are said to have joined the Jihadis. However, for parents of 15 engineering students in Hyderabad there was big relief. Following a missing report, the West Bengal police was able to track them down before their plans to fly to Iraq could materialise. Apparently, these young minds were attracted to the idea of fighting alongside ISIS in Iraq and Syria and were lured towards creating a new Islamic State. While the police suspect there is a group involved, at least one student from Karimnagar has been identified as the brains behind the operation. Fingers are being crossed that investigations get more leads to nip the sinister design of the Jihadis, which should have no place in this country.

*                                               *                                               *                                               *

Delhi’s Tu-Tu-Mein Mein

It’s a no holds barred fight between the BJP and AAP in Delhi for power. Both are busy giving each other a lesson in political morality, days after Lt Governor Najeeb Jung recommended President Mukherjee invite the BJP to form the elusive Government and the Supreme Court giving Najeeb a month to form it. The AAP chief has accused rival of violating constitutional norms by attempting to buy some of its MLAs--asking them to resign or switch sides. A video CD of its sting operation showing a BJP leader offering Rs 4 crore to an AAP legislator to resign has been given to Jung for action. It insists BJP cannot form the Government. On the other side, the BJP has hit back questioning AAP’s lessons on probity. It scoffs at AAP MLAs enjoying government posts and official cars when in their affidavits they had promised to forgo the privileges that come with the post! Worse, it accused some MLAs heading district development committees for doing no work and passing the blame to Jung. Time the national capital is spared of this tu-tu-mein-mein. Fresh elections seem the only answer.        

*                                               *                                               *                                               *

Relief In Manipur

Land-locked Manipur heaves a sigh of relief. No more should the people feel the pinch of price hike, following the lifting of the week-long highway blockade by the United Naga Council (UNC) on Thursday last. The blockade of vehicular vehicles on all highways in Manipur’s “Naga areas”, had come into effect on September 4, after two Naga protestors were killed in police firing at Ukhrul town on August 30. There’s additional good news. The UNC, after talks with Home Ministry emissary, also decided to lift its indefinite ban on construction of all national projects following a positive response on its demand for an alternative arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur outside the State government. The blockade had led to over 500 trucks, carrying fuel, vegetables, food items and life saving drugs, being stranded at various points in Nagaland and Assam. Fingers are crossed that ‘achche din’ after the blockade continue.

*                                               *                                               *                                               *

“No-Frills” Airports 

Both Governments and people of four States—Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha should be literally flying high. The Civil Aviation Ministry has shortlisted the first “no-frills” airports in five of their cities—Kishnagarh, Tej, Hubli and Belgaum and Jharsuguda respectively from a list of 50. For starters, while these airports will have airstrips long enough to handle turboprops such as ATR and Q-100, there will be no conveyor belts, no aerobridges and only the security holds area will be air conditioned. To ensure that the cost of these airports—anything between Rs 55 crore to Rs 85 crore—is maintained, the terminal buildings wouldn’t be fancy either, like modern glass and steel seen in metros, instead would be simple structures. The Airports Authority of India has given itself two-three years to get these airports ready. With the pilot project taking off, others cities under consideration should only hope that their turn in the queue shouldn’t be long and winding. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)