The Tribune – JD-U to be key player in 2014: CM Nitish Kumar; In Delhi, presses for special status for Bihar; says open to tie-ups with other parties

Girja Shankar Kaura, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 17. Sounding the election bugle, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today sought special status for his backward state and suggested that his support would be crucial for formation of next government at the Centre.

Bringing his political fight to Delhi, Nitish, who has been openly opposed to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi being named as NDA’s prime ministerial candidate, also went to the extent of suggesting that his party, JD-U, which is part of BJP-led NDA, was not averse to exploring other tie-ups.

“Either you give it (special status) now or after 2014, you will have to give it. You will have to accept the demand in circumstances that will be there after 2014. Only one, who feels about the backward, the backward states will occupy the seat of power in Delhi,” Nitish said addressing the‘Adhikar’ rally here.

Nitish urged the Union Government to “change the criteria to give special status to Bihar.” “We have been told that we do not meet all qualifications for getting special status,” he said. Making a strong political statement, a day after Modi had an audience full of industrialists, politicians and people from the middle class in rapt attention at a conclave here, Nitish although admitted that while Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s Budget 2013 had showed concern for Bihar, the state had largely been treated unfairly by the Centre.

At the rally for which BJP leaders (JD-U’s key ally in Bihar), were not invited, Nitish tried to juxtapose his politics against that of Modi, by saying that his own model of development was that of a unified India.

“We will leave everyone behind and move ahead with development. And we will present a model before the world.

These days development model is being discussed. This model is what takes along everyone together. This is the real development model of India,” Kumar said in a veiled reference to the Modi’s speeches about the Gujarat model of development.

Pitching himself for a national role ahead of the 2014 General Election, Nitish did not hide his prime ministerial ambitions, saying: “Only those who understand the pain of the poor and the backward must rule Delhi.”

He said his demand would not only benefit Bihar, but also other backward regions of the country. “If backward regions start developing, it will push up the national growth rate. We want development for all.”

In his over 20-minute speech, Kumar invoked regional pride and said that people from Bihar are ignored everywhere and cited the Centre’s refusal to give rehabilitation funds for Kosi flood victims and the repeated refusal of the government in past to accord special status to the state.

Focusing on the steps taken by him for good governance, the Bihar Chief Minister referred to the bicycle scheme in his state and questioned “whether the Centre has any such scheme which has benefited so many people in four years.”

He said the UPA government will have to implement what they have stated and “if they delay, then the people of Bihar will have to prepare themselves. “We will not rest in peace till we get special status for the state. Those in power in Delhi should be careful. We have come forward to seek our rights.”

Kumar will also be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130318/main1.htm

The Tribune – Fourteen more die as cold wave sweeps North

New Delhi, December 31. Fourteen persons succumbed to extreme cold in North India today as temperatures plummeted across the region making people stay inside homes. Delhiites shivered in the morning as the mercury plunged to the season’s lowest of 5.5 degrees celsius even as dense fog affected air traffic.

The minimum was two degrees below normal and down from yesterday’s 7.7 degrees. The maximum temperature in the capital was 13.3 degrees celsius, seven notches below normal.

Extreme cold claimed 14 more lives in various parts of Uttar Pradesh bringing the toll this winter to 83 in the state.

Despite a sunny afternoon which provided much needed respite to people, the chill claimed three lives each in Jalaun and Bhadohi, two each in Azamgarh, Bahraich and Shrawasti and one each in Gazipur and Sonebhadra.

Met office reports said that maximum temperatures were below normal by four to 10 degree celsius at one or two places in the state. Night temperatures fell appreciably in Lucknow division.

They were below normal in Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Jhansi and Agra divisions and normal in remaining divisions.

Lowest minimum temperature in the state was 4.0 degree celsius recorded at Muzaffarnagar. Fog threw normal life out of gear in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today affecting air, rail and road traffic as the mercury plummeted sharply in the region on the New year eve.

Early morning dense fog reduced visibility to just a few metres adversely affecting air, rail and road traffic in the two states, official said here. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130101/main4.htm

The Tribune – Rs 1,800 crore spent, why is Yamuna still dirty, SC asks Centre, states

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, October 10. The Supreme Court today took the Centre, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to task for the worsening water quality of the Yamuna despite the fact that over Rs 1,800 crore had been spent on combating pollution so far.

“It is unfortunate that huge amount of public finds is spent without showing any improvement in water quality” of the river, a Bench comprising Justices Swatanter Kumar and Madan Lokur remarked in its order.

The Bench noted that Rs 1,062 crore had been spent by the Centre alone, followed by Rs 219 crore by Uttar Pradesh and over Rs 200 crore by Haryana. Besides this, various corporations and civic bodies of the Centre and the states had also pitched in with considerable effort, taking the total expenditure to Rs 1,800 crore.

But the report filed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that the level of pollution had considerably gone up all along the course of the river since March this year. For instance, the coliform content was measured at 17 billion per 100 ml at Delhi and Agra, against the permissible limit of 5,000, the court pointed out.

Even at Hathnikund, located upstream, coliform presence had gone up from 2,000 in March 2012 to 20,000 in August 2012. At Panipat, it was measured at 13,000 in March and at 3.8 lakh in August. The numbers for Sonepat stood at 8,000 and 20,000.

The Bench directed the Chief Secretaries of the three states and the Secretary of the Union Urban Development Ministry in consultation with other ministries concerned to file detailed reports on the works undertaken so far from Hathnikund to Agra, the number of sewers — be it industrial, domestic or other waste — joining the river and the treatment plants installed and functional. The heads of the civic bodies concerned such as the Delhi Jal Board would also have to file similar reports.

The SC asked these authorities to be present in the court at the next hearing on October 30 if they failed to comply with the order.

The Centre and the states should also give the names of their representatives for inclusion in an expert commit to be constituted for suggesting a comprehensive plan for prevention and control of Yamuna pollution.

Pointing out that the SC was seized of the issue since 1994, the Bench said it wanted to ensure that some concrete results were produced without any further delay.

Haryana’s Additional Advocate General Manjit Singh Dalal informed the Bench that the state incurred an expenditure of Rs 247.82 crore under phase one of theYamuna Action Plan, of which the Centre paid 50 per cent.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121011/main1.htm

The Tribune – Khaps term female foeticide as murder; Want drive against menace, guilty punished

Bijendra Ahlawat, Tribune News Service

Bibipur (Jind, Haryana), July 14. A mahapanchayat of leaders and representatives of over 100 khaps from Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh took a tough stand against female foeticide on Saturday and demanded registration of a murder case against those who indulge in the “heinous act”.

The mahapanchayat, a conglomeration of various caste councils, was convened for the first time to discuss and debate rampant female foeticide in Haryana’s Bibipur village, 10 km from Jind on the Bhiwani road. It was pointed out that the population of girls had decreased due to the rampant practice and effective steps should be taken to wipe out the social ill. There are around 877 females per 1,000 males in the state.

“The perpetrators (of female foeticide) should be booked under Section 302 of the IPC instead of the simple imprisonment of five years and fine awarded to the guilty of such a crime,” said the resolution passed at the mahapanchayat.

The mahapanchayat, which for the first time saw a large number of women participants, also decided to launch an awareness campaign against the social evil by holding regular panchayat meetings. An 11-member committee would be formed to oversee the campaign.

“The committee will be headed by Ram Karan Solanki, chief of the Palam-360 Khap. It will meet again to ensure that the campaign against foeticide continued till positive results were achieved,” said Sunil Jaglan, Sarpanch of Bibipur village, and organiser of the mahapanchayat. It was chaired by Kuldeep Ram Rai, head of the Naugama Panchayat.

While speakers condemned the practice of female foeticide, they stressed the need for creating social awareness against female foeticide and educating the masses on problems that could crop up if the rampant practice continued. Khaps blamed the media for presenting them in poor light and claimed they had only been working for the social benefit of various communities.

Santosh Dahiya, head of the woman wing of the Sarvakhap Mahapanchayat, said both men and women were responsible for foeticide and the state’s skewed sex ratio and only their will and attitude could bring about a change.

Kuldeep Singh Dhanda, pradhan of Barah Kalan Khap, said they were worried about the declining sex ratio in the state. Change is possible only with the involvement of all sections of society, he said.

However, voices of dissent were also heard during the function. While a large number of women attended the panchayat, only a handful was allowed to speak after the resolution. They termed the resolution a futile exercise.

Some participants objected to the manner in which the resolution was adopted. “The organisers ought to have held a thorough debate and discussion on the matter before adopting the resolution,” said Umed Singh Deswal, head of the Dulehra Barah Khap of Jhajjar. He said organisers exhibited immaturity in the manner in which the event was organised.

Khaps that participated in the meeting included Malik, Binain, Dalal, Sheoran, Hooda, Barah Kalan, Dahiya, Bhanwala, Gathwala, Kandela, Sangwan, Solanki, Maan, Dhanda, Deswal and Tanwar, besides representatives of Dalit bodies. With women of the village leading the campaign, the Gram Sabha of Bibipur village had invited leaders of over 300 khaps to seek their support for the campaign.

(With agency inputs)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120715/main4.htm

The Tribune – Provide relief to riot victims in four months, Centre told

Saurabh Malik, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 4. Acting on a petition for directions to the Centre and other respondents for monitoring the disbursement of grants to the 1984 riot victims, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the applications before it on the issue.

The directions came on a petition filed in public interest by Inder Bir Singh Chhatwal against the Union of India through its secretary. In his petition placed before the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, the petitioner had sought the issuance of a writ, directing the respondents to monitor and ensure disbursement of relief to the 1984 riot victims. The petitioner had added that the entire exercise should be carried as per the sanctioned rehabilitation package.

As the case came up for arguments, the Bench noticed that two applications have been filed by victims Tijender Singh and Balbir Singh. The Bench also took note of the contention that the applications were filed within the stipulated period before the authority concerned, but no action was taken on it.

The Bench asserted: “Under the circumstances, we disposed of this writ petition by issuing the directions to the Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, to ensure that action be taken on the applications, filed by the above said individuals”.

Before parting with the judgement, the Bench also set a four-month deadline for the Centre to act. “If they are eligible, the compensation amount be disbursed to them forthwith. Needful be done within four months from the receipt of a copy of this order,” the Bench ruled.

The directions come just about four years after another Bench of the High Court directed the Mohali Deputy Commissioner to hold an inquiry into the issuance of red cards to the 1984 riot victims. A Division Bench had issued directions after the state counsel expressed doubts about the authenticity of red cards issued to the victims.

Already, Punjab has been caught fibbing in the matter. It denied any irregularity in the issuance of red cards to 578 riot victims. But, the Punjab and Haryana High Court only recently observed that a vigilance inquiry, said to have been conducted into matter, has found that the documents furnished by as many as 30 beneficiaries were forged.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120705/punjab.htm#14

455.The Man in Blue – Dillí

On 13 January I am flying to the capital of the Indian Union, which since the HQ of the British Raj moved there from Calcutta is known as New Delhi. I will be leaving from Brussel airport at 10.05 and should/might arrive at 22.30. I will stay in Delhi till 03.05 on 22 January, and after that will be unlikely to go travelling till June.

For many Sikhs the main concern after landing at ING Airport is how to get to Panjab. I am staying in Delhi and my concern is how to get to New Moti Nagar where Amrik Singh (airport) and his family are staying. Their son Dildíp Singh is to marry Jaspreet Kaur, who is from that part of Delhi.

I am supposed to be picked up from the airport, but in case that goes wrong my ‘plan b’ is to take the airport bus to New Delhi station and find a room in one of the many hotels in Pahar Ganj.     

The wedding is on the 16^th of January, which means that I have time before and after the wedding to visit the main Gurdwaré of the city, like Rakáb Ganj, Bangla Sáhib and Sís Ganj. Those that know me and my funny ways will not be surprised to hear that I also plan to travel around on the new metro system of the city.

Wandering about in old Dillí is another of my priorities, as I love the old cities of the subcontinent. In their narrow, overcrowded and often dirty streets I feel most at home. Even in Peshawar and Lahore I was perfectly safe walking around on my own in the old bazaars. Lahore and Peshawar are very interesting and wonderfully diverse cities, where the people were surprised to see an ‘Angrezí’ Sikh. This did not stop them from making me feel very welcome.

If you read the first few chapters of Rudyard Kipling’s Kim you get a glimpse of how cosmopolitan Lahore was in those days. Lahore, Delhi and Amritsar all suffered because of the bloody exchange of populations in 1947. In areas like Tilak Nagar in Delhi, which was badly hit by the anti-Sikh pogroms of 1984, lived many Sikhs who had to leave their homes and land behind after partition.

The independence of countries like Turkmenistan, Kirgizstan and Uzbekistan brought back visitors from those parts of the world to both halves of Panjab. Let’s hope that there will be no new Moghul conquerors amongst them. The interaction between the sub-continental and the Moghul cultures enriched India, but present-day Muslim rulers would probably be more like Aurangzeb than like Akbar !

India is entering the 21^st century, although even in the booming southern cities many people seem still not to have reached the 20^th one.  Old man and amateur historian that I am, I love the old fashioned ways, the narrow streets, the donkeys, cows and buffaloes, the open sewers, the tiny shops and the streets jam-packed with rickshaws, autos and pedestrians. I love to be part of the colourful crowds of India, provided that ‘loose motion’ does not get me down.