The Tribune – Environmentalists form morcha, set agenda for parties

Jangveer Singh, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 5. For the first time, ecology will become an issue in the state assembly elections with environmentalists floating a front that will vote for candidates committed to an agenda which supports sustainable livelihood, including health security.

The environmentalists, led by the Kheti Virasat Mission, include the BKU (Rajewal), the BKU (Ekta) and Sidhupur factions. These organisations have pockets of influence in Bathinda, Mansa, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Hoshiarpur districts. Former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Kewal Singh is a member of this mission.

The “Vatavaran Ate Samaj Bachao Morcha” has met politicians of all hues and will meet them again to elicit their commitment, based upon which it will lend support to different candidates. Morcha head Umender Dutt, who has been championing the cause of orgnanic farming besides leading farmers’ movement against GM crops in Faridkot district since 2005, says the SAD-BJP government has failed to take affirmative steps to protect environment.

He says the attempt to clean riverwaters has failed but hastens to add that things were no better during the earlier Congress rule.

“We want all political parties to formulise a development model with a paradigm shift in agriculture practices”, says Umendra. This includes a commitment on organic farming and a no to GM crops. Besides, the environment group wants the government to ensure health security for all farmers and the setting up of a cancer hospital in Bathinda. Umendra claims opening a private hospital in the cancer belt will not help small farmers at all.

Umendra says the group will also demand an institute for environment health research and studies. He says an ecology audit is needed to understand the damage caused to environment and how that can be rectified. The activist says a state-level water conservation drive should be launched with a time-bound action plan to rejuvenate old water bodies.

He says this is necessary as 108 of the 138 blocks have been designated as ‘dark zones’ with the ground water level abysmally low.

Umendra says an environment commission should be constituted to take up environment conservation. The morcha led by him has called for earmarking budget for promoting sustainable agriculture, including organic farming.

Green Cause

Morcha to back candidates commited to organic farming

Who say no to GM crops 

Who promise Health security for all farmers

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120106/punjab.htm#14

Dadda ate poti, Den Haag (Netherlands) 31/12/2011

31 December 2011, Den Haag (The Hague)
Manpreet Kaur (poti), Harleen Kaur (local girl) and ‘dadda’ Harjinder Singh

The Tribune – In Haryana, arrest of corrupt officials a hogwash

Sunit Dhawan, Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, January 5. A government official harasses a person for bribe. He approaches the state vigilance bureau (SVB), which forms a team that stealthily accompanies the complainant when he goes to the official to pay the bribe.

The complainant then hands over the bribe money – sprinkled with a chemical powder – to the official. As soon as the accused accepts the notes, he is nabbed and made to wash hands.

A particular colour appears and in the common parlance it is said the official has been caught “red-handed.” However, what happens afterwards is a different story altogether.

An RTI query has revealed that arrest of corrupt officials in Haryana is merely a hogwash. Most government officials, who are caught “red-handed” on graft charges, eventually manage to get a clean chit.

As per the bureau figures, the vigilance department of the Ambala division registered as many 266 cases (from April 1, 2000 to November 30, 2010) where officials from different government departments were caught taking bribe. However, of the total, 107 have been given a clean chit.

The situation was particularly alarming in Rohtak division, where 305 cases were registered but 202 officials managed to walk scot-free. As many as 363 cases were registered in the Gurgaon division. But there was no information on those who were later acquitted or punished.

In the Hisar division, 270 officials were booked but 164 were acquitted later.

“Most government officials being let off even after being caught red-handed and that too in the presence of a duty magistrate, vigilance officials and independent witnesses strongly indicates that there are some major loopholes in the law-enforcement process,” asserts Subhash, coordinator of the Haryana Suchna Adhikar Manch, which filed the RTI query.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120106/main6.htm

The Asian Age – BJP opens its doors for ‘tainted’

Amita Verma, Asian Correspondent

Lucknow, 6 January 2012. The BJP, which has been receiving flak over the induction of ex-BSP minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, is all set to take another beating when it welcomes some more “tainted” politicians next week. The party is already in talks with some other influential but “tainted” leaders.

The BJP, according to sources, is determined to give ticket for the assembly polls to jailed mafia don and BSP MP Dhananjay Singh’s wife Jagriti and/or his brother. Dhananjay Singh has dumped BJP — rather, its allies – on two occasions but his mentor, Rajnath Singh, obviously does not think it is politically incorrect.

Dhananjay had been elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 2002 on a Lok Janshakti Party ticket but he promptly switched loyalties to the Mulayam Singh government in 2003.

In 2007, he was re-elected on a JD(U) ticket but when Ms Mayawati formed the government, he happily merged the party into the BSP.

Presently lodged in Jaunpur jail on a double murder charge, Dhananjay Singh is all set to shake hands with the BJP and the latter is reciprocating heartily.

Another “tainted” politician who has already acquired a saffron hue is Avadesh Varma, former BSP minister.

Varma has been charged with corruption including misappropriation of funds and land grabbing but the BJP has nominated him as its candidate from Dadraul in Shahjahanpur.

Daddan Misra, another tainted minister in the Mayawati government, also figures in the BJP list from Bhinga assembly segment.

Misra was an accused in the mass rape of Muslim women in Shravasti in 2008 but his name was later deleted under pressure.

The incident led to pandemonium in the state assembly and Daddan was in the eye of storm.

http://www.asianage.com/india/bjp-opens-its-doors-tainted-817

November visit to UK 14/11 till 21/11; many pictures of trains !

21/11 – Chiltern Railways to Gerrard’s Cross from Paddington station

21/11 – St Pancras, Hitachi highspeed trains

21/11 – St Pancras, Eurostar to Brussel Zuid 

 21/11 – St Pancras, Eurostar to Brussel Zuid

To see more UK public transport pictures go to :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157611244941713/

More UK pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue 

The Tribune – AFSPA not on the backburner: Omar

Tribune News Service

Jammu, January 5. The last three years were both “the best of times” and “the worst of times”, said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today, quoting from ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens, after completing three years in office. The youngest Chief Minister had taken over as CM of the troubled and sensitive border state on January 5, 2009 at the age of 39.

‘A Tale of Two Cities’ was written by Dickens in 1859 and was set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution.

The Chief Minister and his Deputy, Tara Chand, released a report card of the National Conference-Congress coalition government and called on the Governor to present him with a copy.

Asked to spell out his position on Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), which he had declared in October would be lifted ‘soon’, the CM said, “ the issue is not on the backburner — just because it is not being talked about — does not mean that it is not being pursued.”

The Chief Minister indicated that the cabinet sub-committee set up to examine the feasibility of taking over control of some of the hydel power plants operated by the public sector National Hydel Power Corporation ( NHPC) would be submitting its report this week. Recalling that the proposal had been endorsed by the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisor, Dr Rangarajan, the Chief Minister hinted that the cabinet would be taking steps to take control of the plants.

The state government, the Chief Minister said, was seeking more funds from the Centre to buy more power and also chalking out a plan to deal with pilferage of electricity and transmission and distribution losses.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120106/main1.htm

Dawn – The silent majority

by Sana Saleem
4 January, 2012

It was on this day last year, when a 26-year-old Mumtaz Qadri killed the very man he was meant to protect. Twenty seven bullets to silence Salman Taseer and to make sure that the debate on misuse of blasphemy laws is shunned for good. It was this day last year that I realised that this might be the end of it all, the end of hope, the end for tolerance, the end of any show of courage, bravery or rational debate on the blasphemy laws or anything for that matter.

Some of us had already witnessed the vengeance before, the ‘either you are with us or against us’ mentality.  It was made to look like it was our word against God’s. We had witnessed people jubilant over murder too and witnessed the transition of a murderer to a martyr. The reactions that followed the attack on Ahmadi’s in Lahore were the first signs that humanity had stooped down and been reduced to convoluted assumptions of faith and piety.

In the past year, minority minister Shahbaz Bhatti was also gunned down outside his mother’s residence, silenced so he may never speak out against the injustices suffered by minorities again. While clerics, television anchors, columnists and even politicians sought to persuade us that Taseer had brought it upon himself, that anyone who dared to speak out against the blasphemy laws would suffer the same fate and that if they had the opportunity they would do the same.

Spectators that either choose to agree with the jubilant or nod their heads condemning the murder but justifying the reaction to ‘such sensitive matters’, all the same. Something had broken irreparably.

The few of us that were horrified and enraged took to the streets and protested. Knowing well that for every chant, every word, every argument we make there could be a Qadri waiting to gun us down, lynch us so we may never be able to question again. Not much has changed. But should that stop us?

Salmaan Taseer stood for tolerance and he was killed at the hands of extremism. Nothing justifies his murder, and anyone who does has blood on their hands. I do not expect things to change overnight; they will not go away anytime soon. But I choose not to give up hope, not to remain silent and to keep fighting back, even if it’s our words against their bullets.

I, like many others, take my courage from the Taseer’s. Shehrbano Taseer, who despite losing her Abba so suddenly and violently, stood defiant, courageous and composed. At a time when people should have showered her with words of comfort, she was battling with questions, the likes of which could pierce through the most strongest of souls: “How did you feel when your father’s murderer was showered with flowers? People refused to read his funeral prayers? His murderer is being turned in to a hero of sorts.”

She chose to reason, to educate the world that the hatred that killed her father hurts all of Pakistan. As these walls keep closing in on us, like Shehrbano Taseer, we have no other choice but to resist. We live in an irreparably broken society, and I don’t wish to deny the reality, but despite that we must continue to hope, because hope gives us what we otherwise would not have: a chance.

While the courageous amongst us are ridiculed, threatened and attacked we must continue to support and reason.

Silence is not an option, it never was.

Sana Saleem blogs at Global Voices, Asian Correspondent, The Guardian and her personal blog Mystified Justice. She recently won the Best Activist Blogger award by CIO & Google at the Pakistan Blogger Awards. She can be found on Facebook.

http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/04/the-silent-majority.html