Bold Action for Protection of Environment

Thanks to the officials of District Administration and T.N. Pollution Control Board – 32 dyeing units were demolished after removing the Machinery and Equipment because even after sealing these unlicensed units by the orders of Judicial authority, the units were playing hide and seek and befooling everyone in the process. The farmers in and around these factories were all the time complaining to the District Collector Sri Kamaraj that owners of these dyeing units were stealthily operating these units without any fear. It is heartening to note that Erode District Administtration took the initiative, followed it up with the decision of a Judicial authority and demolished those defaulting dyeing units to give permanent relief to the farmers and other villagers in the vicinity. The citizens of Erode District and Environmental Lobbyists should ensure that the District Administration's hands are strengthened and allowed to function freely and effectively like this in the days to come. One should appreciate such an initiative and timely action because very rarely we come across such activity on the part of executives these days. Air and water pollution is rampant without any fear throughout the country (Friday, April 22, 2011).

Game of Musical Chairs by IPS Officers

Venue of the Game: Gandhi Nagar, Capital of Gujarat

Participating IPS Officers :–

Sri K.Chakravarthi, Former DGP,

Mr.R.C.Kumar, Former Additional D.G.,

Sri Sanjiv Bhatt, Former I.B.Officer,

Sri A.K.Malhotra, S.I.T. Official,

Sri R.K.Raghavan, Former CBI Director,

Sri P.C.Pande, Former Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad

P.C.Pande is learnt to have submitted over 3000 pages of scanned copies of those records before the Supreme Court appointed Special Investigating team (S.I.T.) although the same gentleman had earlier maintained before the same S.I.T. that many of the Police records were not available as they had ostensibly been destroyed due to passage of time.

Nobody knows what has persuaded P.C.Pande to provide this scanned C.D at the current juncture. Is this due to change of heart or a part of a new strategy adopted by the Modi Government?

It is also astonishing that Gujarat IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court referring to a meeting on February 27, 2002 in which Sanjiv Bhatt and other Police officials were briefed by the Chief Minister Narendra Modi that the then situation warranted  –  Muslims to be taught a lesson to ensure that such instances (burning of S-6 bogie of Sabarmati Express in Godhra Station) didn't recur thereafter. He also quotes Modi as saying that “emotions were running very high amongst Hindus and it was imperative that they be allowed to vent out their anger”. Bhatt recorded this evidence before SIT’s DIG, A.K.Malhotra.

Why such a conduct among the top level law-enforcing authorities on such a sensitive matter?

Surrender of Self-pride

Surrender before the Supreme being is the most intelligent thing a human being should aim and achieve. That is what is being noticed and practiced in the Kaliyuga’s ‘Vaikund’, namely, the Lord Sri Venkateshwara’s temple in Tirumala (A.P).

Human being’s sacrifice at the personal level is to tonsure one's head in the temple premises and pray to God by surrendering his ego and self-pride. It is reported that in the year 2010-11 as many as 1,01,06,293 persons offered their beautiful and tended hair to the Lord. The temple administration has provided all the necessary facilities for this purpose in a significant way. About 665 including 59 women hair-cutters are on the job. It is also reported that as much as 50% of the visitors to His abode offer their hair to fulfil a vow taken in return for the blessings of the Lord. It is also a time-tested tradition and practice to offer the hair to the Gods since 1830 B.C, as has been noted (Dinamani Wednesday, April 27, 2011).

Southern Railway chokes Cooum clean-up project

The great and disturbing news is that both Central and Egmore Railway Stations have failed to comply with the pollution norms. Violating all pollution norms, Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board (TNSEB) sources said, the railways was letting out waste water and sewage into the Buckingham canal and Cooum river. Despite Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB)’s repeated directives to the railway asking them to set up an effluent treatment plant, both Central and Egmore stations are yet to comply. TNPCB sources said the environment clearance for railways was still on hold as the railway was not following pollution norms.

Pollution is caused by none other than the railways in this case! River-fronts are polluted in the city of Chennai with no checks but the rules and regulations are openly violated by the biggest public sector establishment!!. Probably the High Court or the Supreme Court has to use the hammer one day and direct the government agencies to follow the rules and save the rivers and the environment. Our rulers have no sense of decency, self correction and civilised behaviour in discharge of their public duty.

Electoral Reforms in India

We have had conducted general elections – more than a dozen times to the State Assemblies and Lok Sabha. It is an open secret that almost all the political parties spend very lavishly on the eve of elections and file a moderate return of expenses to the Returning Officers. Lakhs and crores of rupees are collected by them and donated by business men and industrialists willingly or forcibly on the basis of assumption or an unwritten convention that they would be shown favours and adequately compensated after assuming power. The dishonesty starts right there at the hustings and it is anybody’s imagination as to how the government will be run and the public interests of the voters protected. The very first reform has therefore to be in the area of elections.

The general elections to the sixteenth Lok Sabha can be fought by a leading national level party or its national alliance as a referendum for electoral reforms as suggested in the ensuing paragraphs with a promise to amend the constitutional provisions suitably soon after the elections for the introduction of Presidential form of government in the country. No doubt we can never think of a democracy sans elections. It is also a must that it should be free, fair and peaceful. If it can be less expensive it is all the more better. The best way of achieving this objective is to have the top-most executive of the nation and of the state viz the President and the Governor directly elected for an uninterrupted tenure of six years and Lok Sabha and the Assemblies nominated through a scientific and systematic process of selection from among the elected representatives at the gross roots for the purpose of making legislation and policy-decisions to guide the ministries and departments in their day-to-day administration. The Cabinet or the so-called Council of Ministers will not be dependent on the majority strength of the ruling party or its coalition in the legislature for its survival.

At the end of every six years one or two full months can be devoted for the conduct of direct and indirect elections to all the public institutions – President and Governors, Panchayats and Municipalities. Mandis (Regulated markets) and Co-operatives, Janpad Panchayats (Panchayat Unions) and District councils, Assemblies and the Parliament. The highest institution viz. the President at the centre and the Governor in the state and the lowest institutions via the Panchayat in the village and Municipality in the urban area are to be given due importance, strength and authority through direct elections and all other bodies to be nominated by these elected representatives with a view to tendering advice and participating in decision making without any fear or favour towards the voters.

The entire government and the whole nation would devote the particular month/months for elections and that too only once in six years and no other elections or by-elections in between. In the first week of the month the President and the Governors are to be elected directly on the basis of adult franchise. Along with them the vice-president and the Deputy Governors already nominated and declared so by the contesting candidates on the eve of elections will get automatically elected without a separate ballot paper. In the second or third week the elections will be held for the Panchayats and Municipal bodies again on the basis of universal adult franchise (above 18 years of age). In the fourth week direct elections will be held for Mandis and co-operative organizations from amongst the members of those organizations. In the fifth or sixth week Sar-panchas (Panchayat Presidents) will be elected by Panchas (Panchayat members) and sent as the members of Janpad Panchayat (Panchayat Union).

In the sixth week the Janpads/Municipalities will elect two members each and send them to District Councils. In the seventh or eighth week the district councils will elect members of Parliament and the requisite number of MLAs from amongst them. On the fifth day of the following month Assemblies and the Lok Sabha will assemble and take oath under the Constitution. The President and the Governors will take over charge on the 10th day ie., five days after the parliament and assemblies are constituted. In such a system the public is supposed to elect a leader of their choice as the President and the Governor about whom they are likely to bear and read. Similarly they are also aware of the persons whom they elect as Panchayat or Municipal Members and consequently the other bodies in between are taken care of and composed by their elected representatives only on the basis of their talents – education and experience and the capacity to lead. General elections in the country should be fully supervised, controlled and coordinated by the Central Election Commission (CEC) at the Centre. It could be a three-member body headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court and appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice for a fixed tenure of six years. Other two members will be nominated by the President – one from the civil service and another a retired governor of a state – both for a fixed tenure of six years. They will be appointed in such a way that not more than one member retires in a gap of six months at a time. The majority view will prevail in taking policy decision. For a detailed functioning, there will be distribution of work amongst the three members prepared and approved by the President so that day-to-day work doesn’t suffer. If possible the whole country can be divided into three zones for field visits, supervision and detailed directions by the members. The Central Election Commission would hear the election petitions from among the candidates for the positions of Governor, Deputy Governor and the Members of Parliament. The CEC will be responsible for the proper functioning of State Election Commissions at the State Head Quarters. It will serve as an apex body as far as elections of any nomenclature being talked about and discussed in this paper are concerned and guide them as and when necessary.

In every State there will be one State Election Commission headed by a senior civil servant of the State nominated by Central Election Commission from out of a panel sent by the respective governors for a fixed tenure of six years. State Election Commission will be in charge of all elections taking place within the state. It would work under the guidance and supervision of Central Election Commission. It would hear election petitions from the candidates for the positions of MLAs, Members of District Councils & Janpad Panchayats.

State Election Commission will be assisted in its work by the District Collectors or the subordinate Dy.Collectors as Returning Officers. They will in turn conduct all elections on behalf of CEC & SEC with the usual staff already provided for such purposes in their offices. They will be in charge of panchayat & Municipal Elections directly in all respects under the supervision and guidance of SEC. They will hear all election petitions other than those maintainable before CEC or SEC.

Conduct of Elections

General elections to the posts of the President and Vice President or the Governor and the Deputy Governor will be conducted at the state expense. The candidates in the elections will be helped by the State for their canvassing and electioneering. Government media will be freely available to them for about a month. But all these facilities will be made available to the candidates from the ruling party as well as the main opposition party in their respective jurisdictions. In case there are more than two parties at the time of elections the respective commission will assess the strength of each party on the basis of absolute number of valid votes received by it in the immediately preceding elections and accordingly declare it as eligible for state help. No party or its candidate is supposed to spend any sum of money or receive any sum of money and election materials from any individual. group of individuals, agency, business or industrial houses as donations in case it receives state help for elections. Government presses or other public presses run by State budget will print election materials or propaganda materials of candidates in requisite quantities and supply them at least 20 days in advance.

Election Manifesto

It is one of the important weapons of a political party to win elections. The country’s experience is that many parties and their candidates commit a lot of promises on the eve of elections hardly realizing their gravity and feasibility. Sometimes such funny and damaging promises have had been made and attempted for execution with the result the citizens and economic/financial institutions have been badly affected with irreparable consequences. It is therefore in the interest of this nation and economy that all the proposed manifestos prepared by the respective political parties and their candidates are put to the test and a detailed examination before SECs & CEC in the presence of experts from the field. It would ensure at least that they don’t take up things very lightly and try to confuse or misguide the public and the voters for the victory in the hustings.

Qualifications for candidates

• President, Vice President, Governor and Dy.Governor should not be less than 40 years in age. All others should not be less than 25 years old

• Nobody should be above 65 years of age at the time of filing nomination for the first time to any position.

• No criminal or insolvency cases should be pending against them. In case of any doubt a clearance certificate should be obtained from the District and Sessions Judge.

• President, Vice President, Governor and Dy.Governor should not be less than a Graduate in formal education. All others should have passed at least the higher-secondary examination.

• No arrears or dues should be pending from them towards the central or state government, any financial institutions or local bodies.

• President, Vice President, Governor and Dy.Governor should have earned on annual income of atleast Rs.500,000 through his normal profession at the time of filing nomination – to be certified by the I.T.O. on the basis of the annual return filed by him. All others should have earned an annual income which keeps his/her family well above the poverty line.

• Nobody holds any post or position for more than two terms in his/her life-time.

• None of his/her close relative had won the election and occupied the same position for two terms ie., 12 years in the immediate past.

General Elections to Tamil nadu Assembly - Voter & E.C

Democracy in India is rightly in safe hands now despite malpractices and deficiencies being practised and found at some places with variations here and there. The voters of Tamil Nadu have closely observed the role and performance of different political parties in the last one fortnight and exercised their franchise very cautiously and sincerely. Their verdict is definitely going to teach a lesson to whoever wins or loses in the electoral battle this time. A record turn-out not seen so far in such elections (more than 77% participated in the selection of their representataives) has been reported now. In other words both the electorates and the Election Commission of India have not only scored more than first division but almost touched a figure close to distinction in the test. Results are worth-waitng for a month from now.

It is a victory for both the Indian electorate and the no-nonsense Election Commission which tried to be as practical and effective as possible in the conduct of free and fair elections. It has been a real and tough job for the voters to choose their candidates and elect one party or alliance partners from among the parties offering all sorts of promises and freebies vying with one another. Well, whatever be the outcome it will reaffirm our faith in the success of Indian democracy in the days to come. Kudos to the Election Commission of India.

According to Praveen Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, the big turnout of 78% this time in Assembly elections has been largely due to the inclusion of 11 lakh new voters in electoral roll.  Out of this figure nearly 1.47 lakh new voters are from Chennai District alone.  Former Chief Electoral Officer, Naresh Gupta expressed a view that the booth slips given by E.C. might have also attracted new voters.  Another reason for the high turn out could be the awareness campaign timely orchestrated not only by the State Election Authority, but also by a few District Collectors and the Civil Society members. 

For Egmore Residents, It Has Been A Long Wait For Toilets

We Indians, especially urban Indians, are yet to enjoy a luxury of using Toilets even after 64 years of independence. It reflects poorly on our efficiency, priority and planning of proper sanitation and sewerage. Even in those old settlements like Egmore(Chennai) a total and criminal neglect of such a necessity even after six decades of planning, brings out the style and manner of living, we citizens of this country are forced to live with. One is simply aghast at the absence of the Public Toilets (known as Public Convenience in almost all locations including Rest Rooms on the high ways in developed nations). The news paper(Times of India, Chennai, Thursday, March 31, 2011) indicates the lack of sewerage system that may spell a drain of votes for candidates in the general elections scheduled for polling on April 13, 2011 to the State Assembly of Tamil Nadu. In other words, public has no other option except to keep reiterating again and again on each and every occasion when a candidate goes seeking votes of citizens. It is high time the State Planning Commission / Planning Boards and Government of the day including the municipal authorities pay attention to this basic need of the human beings at least in the second decade of 21st centrury.

Is the Court Right to Lead the Nation Now?

I am glad my point of contention that “the judiciary is rightly active at this juncture” is reaffirmed by Mr Manoj Mitta in his article on Sunday,Times of India, Chennai, March 6, 2011. The nation is grateful to Hon’ble Chief Justice, Sri S.H.Kapadia who occupies the highest seat of Judiciary in the country at the moment and guiding not only the nation and delivering the justice but also leading the other two wings of the Government, namely,

the Legislature and the Executive. His moral strength and courage of conviction is due mainly to the only factor viz., 'the asset of integrity' as boldly pointed out by the Judge on day of his ascendency to the highest post.

But for his leading role and the strong guidance the different benches of Supreme Court functioning under his leadership could not have gathered so much courage to pursue cases like 2G Spectrum, CWG scam, Black money in foreign banks, Adarsh Housing Society scam etc.

Let the journey started now in right earnest prolong for a while and take it to the logical conclusion effectively and timely to ensure 'Rule of Law' in this country.

A to Z

Alas! Where is my great country moving?

Bother, not you and I, alone but all should

Casteless society one can hardly expect now

Doctors and health care not in reach of many

Engineers and Technocrats are of no good quality

Foreign aid and Investment aren’t in requisite fields

Good governance preached more and practiced less

Heavenly promises to the poor on the election-eve

Ideal leaders and simplest souls are rare in Politics

Jackals and Mafias active ever for ruling the roost

Kama sutra and sexy life order of the day and night

Love and compassion aren’t the goal of many saints

Money and Media take care of the powerful humans

Nobody, rather not many, are fit to fight the injustice

Ordinary souls are helpless against organized gangs

Politics and bureaucracy exhibiting the worst signs

Queens, Kings and their protégé trying dynastic rule

Republic of India democratic in form, despotic in content

Socialistic pattern of Indian society nowhere in the scene

Travelling across the nation reveals such a dirty environ

Umpteen scandals keep exposing the Indian public face

Very soon we propose to overtake China in numbers

Will our planners and rulers mean business in action?

X-ray of the Indian Diaspora keeps decrying our inaction

Yester year Indians played a role much better than ours

Zealous & serious we should be to soon match the West

Skeleton From The Cupboard

Former Chief of Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) Sri Madhavan Nair may have kept the Antrix Devas Space Band Spectrum agreement away from the knowledge of both the Space Commission and the Cabinet, although the deal had already been concluded.

The above revelation has been made by the Secretary of the Department of Space, Sri K.Radhakrishnan, while communicating to the Prime Minister in recent days. God knows how many more such skeletons are about to fall from the cupboards of PMO? Two-three events / activities of the Government of India (connected to PMO) widely reported in the media and commented upon in the Apex Court of Law in recent days have exposed the hallow nature of advisory mechanism working under the very nose of the Prime Minister.