Bridge ends century-long wait

Kavalam Sasikumar reports on a cross-river link that has finally put an isolated Kerala village on the map

Can the opening of a new bridge draw a crowd of 50,000 people? The inauguration of the Mayannur bridge at Ottappalam of Palakkad district in Kerala just did. The chief minister, the state Assembly speaker and political leaders of all hues wondered as to why people turned up in such large numbers when attendance at political rallies has steadily declined in the politically sensitive state. Old people reached the venue to watch the programme, women came with their babies in tow. It was special, a day they have waited decades for.

The bridge on Bharathappuzha river, the longest in Kerala, bridges not only the two banks but connects the people living on the two sides. On one side of the river lies Ottappalam, a developed township. On the other, in Thrissur district, lies the village of Mayannur. The people of Mayannur struggled to reach Ottappalam for treatment, education, commerce, employment and other activities. They had to spend money and time by travelling more than 32 km by road to reach Ottappalam or had to swim across the river. During the monsoon, the river overflowed its banks and it was not even easy for the boats. Most would swim across the river. Students and working people were forced to carry an extra dress along with their lunch boxes. Those, who did not, spent their day in wet clothes. During the summers, they struggled to walk on the red hot sand bed. Now that the bridge is there, Ottappalam is a 15-minute walk.

The struggle for this bridge is a saga in itself. It dates back to the days of the rule of the provincial prince of Kochi and the Britishers. One side of the river was under the rule of Raja of Kochi and the other part, Malabar, was under the British rule. The Raja of Kochi planned to build a wooden bridge here but later abandoned the project. Then, during the freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi visited Ottappalam which boosted the freedom movement in the state. Gandhi too had raised the demand for a bridge here. There is a Gandhi Ashram in the village Mayannur in memory of his visit.

But the recorded initiative for a bridge here starts in 1920s and it took shape in 1957 just after the formation of the state of Kerala and the first democratically elected state government. That year, the first official meeting to discuss the idea of a bridge took place. The then foreign affairs secretary, K.P.S. Menon, who was leading a retired life in his native Ottappalam at that time, was the first chairman of the committee set up for construction of a causeway across the river. But nothing happened. People, supported by political parties and social organisations, made a human chain to press home their demand. After long procrastination, in 1996-1997, the state budget allocated Rs 20 lakh for the construction of a causeway. But again, it was delayed which came as a blessing in disguise. The plan for a causeway was revisited and the state government approved the plan for a bridge. The foundation stone was laid on November 18, 1999. Work started in 2000. But the pace was abysmal and work was interrupted when Indian Railways refused to give permission for a long time. And so people continued to swim across the river. Continued struggle and strikes drew the attention of authorities. Anyhow, 11 long years after construction had begun, the 1253-metre bridge was finally ready for use.

The positive outcome was the collective effort of all political parties who, for once, rose above partisan politics. The CPI(M) MLA took initiative, the state BJP leader who was minister for state for railways at the Centre during the NDA tenure helped to get the sanction, the present Congress-led Union government and ministers from the state pitched in too. And the inauguration ceremony showed that different political parties could share the dias for a good cause.

The present state government of chief minister V.S Achuthanandan has constructed 20 bridges within the last 56 months. But the Mayannur bridge inauguration was really a grand affair. There were eight cultural processions from various points on both sides of the river. Thousands of people, cultural programmes, bands and caparisoned elephants marked the opening. Students, teachers, government officials mingled with each other. School children expressed their feelings in the form of a one-km-long canvas painting. It took four hours for the Kerala State Transport vehicle to mark the first official journey over the bridge. One of the tableaux in the rally echoed the overall mood. It represented the story of sethubandhanam in Ramayana.

The bridge will not lead to economic development of the region but it will have social implications too. Though Ottappalam and Mayannur are nearby, because of the lack of a connection, people objected to get into marital relations with people from the other bank. Mayannur will become a township soon, Ottappalam will get a boost in terms of trade and travel. The Ottappalam railway station will get a facelift and new development activities are already in the pipeline.

With tears running down her wrinkled skin, Matha, who is over 105 years old, tells TSI, “Now I am ready to say goodbye to my life. It was my dream to see a bridge across the river. I still remember those days as a young girl when I would cross the river full of water while carrying a load of firewood and provisions on my head.”

Chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan stressed on the need of saving our rivers. The Bharathappuzha is a prime example of how illegal sand mining can kill a river. Today there are only small puddles of water here and there in place of the once mighty river. In fact they look like the tearful eyes of a dying river.
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Chandrasekhar Bhattacharjee travels to Haripur, west bengal where a proposed nuclear power plant sparked off protests.

It inspired the people of singur and nandigram. The project has not been shelved and people are keeping a vigil.

Sushanta Bhunia of Haripur may be aged but his spirit is unwavering as he narrates the tale of the people of Haripur, a conglomeration of 19 odd villages in Contai of East Midnapore, resisting the Centre and the state government's attempts to set up a nuclear power plant. “Dr S. K. Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCI), had come to inspect the area but had to retreat as early as on November 17, 2006. He returned the next day under heavy police protection. Around 18 police vans carried armed policemen but we matched them with thousands of villagers. Then, Jain tried to sneak in riding pillion on a motorbike. We recognised him and stopped him. Since then, no government official has dared to visit Haripur in connection with setting up of a nuclear power plant.”

In fact, Haripur showed the path to Nandigram. Three months before roads of Nandigram were dug up, Haripur erected a barricade at Junput Bazar, the main entry point to the area. Villagers converged behind the barricades to prevent ‘anyone unwanted’. Even the police and the district administration were not allowed. The message was loud and clear: “This land belongs to us, not to the government”. Supporters of the ruling Left Front’s partner West Bengal Socialist Party (WBSP) united together with Trinamool Congress, Congress and Paschmbanga Khet Majur Samity and Matsyajibi Unnayan Samity (unit of National Fishworkers’ Forum). Although Jain, chairman of the site selection panel for N-Plant, could not even enter Haripur, forget inspecting the proposed site, he nonetheless informed chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on November 19, 2006, that ''Haripur has a good potential for setting up a Nuclear Plant''.

Bhunia, over 70 years old, says, “The plant’s core area would eat up 15 villages in a 1.6 km radius. More than 20,000 people would be deprived of their land and income. Apart from that, 75,000 recorded fishermen, whose only source of income is fishing and related activities, will be forced out of their livelihood.” The proposed N-Plant has annoyed even school children like Anu Samanta. “There are three high schools and 14 primary schools and about eight child education centres in this area. Where will we go? Is it that the government does not want us to be educated,” are her words.

A 25-km-long sea dyke was built during British period to protect this area from sea waves and hurricanes. A few prominent sea beach resorts like Digha, Shankarpur and Mandarmani exist in the vicinity. Shankarpur is also an important fishing harbour. Most of the three million people living in the entire region are dependent on the sea for their livelihood which will be affected if a nuclear project came up. The Haripur area is also rich in agriculture Rishikesh Giri, another resident, says, “Haripur produces rice twice a year, including that of the Dhudheswar (a high quality fine rice) variety. Apart from that, we produce wheat, mustard, tomato, eggplant, sesame, green chilli and various kinds of vegetables. We don’t need artificial irrigation. We have our ponds which store rain water and serves our fields throughout the year. Of course, the ponds give us sweetwater fish too.” The per acre yield of rice here is 2,400 kg, much higher than the national average. The hay serves as animal fodder, firewood and roofing material. Giri, whose landholding is modest, has three sons and a daughter who is married. One son is a farmer, another one is an employee of Reliance Industries while the remaining one is a Vaishnavite sanyasi.

Local state Assembly legislator Dibyendu Adhikari admits, “Haripur and the adjoining area is the main source of vegetable supply for the Contai sub-division.” Haripur is dotted with betel vines, coconut trees and banana trees. One cannot count the number of betel vines here. “It may be 7,000 or more. We supply betel leaves to the whole of India,” Ananta Bera, a farmer proudly claims.

Sukumar Bhunia, block Panchayat chief and head of the Committee against Nuclear Reactor to save rights to Land and Livelihood, recalls the legacy of struggle here, “People of Midnapore marched to Haripur at the call of Mahatma Gandhi during Salt Satyagraha.” Even today, about 1,000 villagers live of salt processing.

Prabhuram Dalal is the chief of the fishermen's body here. According to him, there are 42 jetties in the first circle of 1.6 km. Each boat employs around 18 people. The Haripur jetty alone has 95 hand-pulled and 50 mechanised boats. More than 2,750 fishing huts dot the coastal line of Haripur and the adjoining 19 villages. Prabhuram is candid: “If the nuclear power plant is built, about 1.5 crore fishermen, from Kakdwip in West Bengal to Paradip in Orissa, will be directly affected.”

Energy scientist Professor Sujoy Basu, ex-chief of School of Energy Studies, Jadavpur University, corroborates Prabhuram’s anxiety. Scientists of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata are anxious too. Basu says: “It seems we have not taken any lesson from past disasters. Haripur is at the confluence of a river. During high tide, sea water rushes up the rivers and even reaches Farakka in Maldah. If the plant is built, sea water will carry nuclear waste up to that distance. Now, can you imagine the situation?”

The nuclear plant, if it comes up, will displace more than a million people. According to the blueprint, a 1.6-km-radius area forms the core area where none are allowed to settle. Then, there will be an ‘inner ring’ of 3 km radius as a buffer zone. This is specially meant for forestation. The ‘outer ring’ will be of a five km radius, where only 5 to 10 per cent of the present population would be allowed to settle. If the line is drawn, the distance intrudes into Contai (Kanthi) town and the populated areas of Henria, Egra and Nandigram blocks come into this ring.

But what gives Haripur the courage to defy the Indian State? They have even demonstrated outside the Russian Consulate in Kolkata. Sushanta Bhunia says, “The Russian authorities listened to us and then said, ‘We came here as your government has asked us. You please talk to your government'.” He continues, “Medinipur is the land of revolutionaries. We have sacrificed our lives but have never lowered our head in front of oppressors. We are their sons and daughters. We will not leave our land may what come.”

Nandigram let out the same warning in 2007. Subhendu Adhikari, MP from East Midnapore and leader of the Nandigram movement, admits: “Haripur taught me how to fight for the cause of the people. It helped me to stand beside the people of Nandigram. So, Haripur is the mother of the struggles in Singur and Nandigram.” Hrisikesh Giri goes on: “During the Freedom movement, Gandhi and the revolutionaries taught us one thing. There will be no let up in our movement till the proposed
bill is scrapped. Till then, we do not want any development work. We don’t want relief and ration. Land is our mother. If our land is lost, we will die.The government has to understand that this land is ours.”

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Faced with bureaucratic ineptitude, Manipur has been in the grip of a severe power crisis for many years.

But recent moves have raised hopes of better days for the state

Manipur's 'powerless' electricity department is at the receiving end of a renewed burst of judicial and civil society activism aimed at bringing light back into the lives of people of the north-eastern state. But the power crisis that the state has been facing for several years is far from nearing its end.

Acting on a PIL filed by three persons against erratic power supply in Manipur, the Imphal bench of Guwahati High Court recently issued a notice to the commissioner (power), government of Manipur, and the chief engineer of the state electricity department seeking an explanation for the continuing failure to ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers who pay their bills regularly.

The court notice, issued by a division bench comprising Justice BK Sharma and Asok Potsangbam, is returnable within four weeks.

The petitioners had contended that bonafide consumers in the state get only about three to four hours of electricity in a day while people in neighbouring states like Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram had round-the-clock power supply.

The PIL pointed out that against the peak hour requirement of 170/180 MW, the state purchases only about 90 MW from power stations like NEEPCO and NHPC. Of this, nearly 80 per cent is lost every month on account of unbridled power theft and constant tripping.

The PIL also stated that the Manipur electricity department spends Rs 11.5 crore every month to purchase power. However, it manages to collect only Rs 1.5 crore from consumers due to systemic failure and widespread corruption.

Although Manipur has immense hydro power potential and can generate up to 2000 MW if it gets its act together, the state's power distribution authorities are unable to meet the domestic requirement of its 1,74,127 consumers.

The Manipur electricity department utilises only about 5 per cent of the potential available in the state. If power theft, which is a cognisable and non-bailable offence under the Electricity Act of 2003, were brought down to 40 per cent, not only would Manipur be able to meet its domestic demand but it would also have surplus power to sell to other states. It would be a win-win situation for Manipur, but as things stand at present the emergence of that happy scenario can only be a distant dream.

The state purchased 438 MW from NEEPCO and NHPC (central undertaking) in 2005-06. The gap between demand and supply has remained constant in spite of the so-called attempts of its nearly 4000-strong staff to enforce compliance with rules and regulations. In 2003-04, the gap was the highest with 48 per cent followed by 39 per cent in 2005-06.

The level of power consumption in Manipur is fairly low. The per capita power consumption is only 146 KWH. The all-India average is 354 KWH. The figure is much higher for Daman and Diu (2335 KWH), Goa (724 KWH), Pondicherry (867 KWH) and Delhi (577 KWH).

The state electricity department has over the years failed to take appropriate action against power pilferers and electricity bill defaulters. It has instead been subsidising the defaulters and penalising regular payees by subjecting both to equal access and equal darkness. This, the petition asserted, clearly implies an absence of an effective regulatory mechanism and absolute lack of governance.

Arguing that failure to provide reliable and uninterrupted electric supply to citizens is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the PIL prayed that the authorities be directed to meet the demand of all bonafide consumers of Manipur within a specific period of time. It also sought an appropriate judicial direction for providing electric power for at least eight hours a day to people of the state during the interim.

The day after the PIL was filed, the electricity department, for the first time in its history, launched a massive drive against power theft and non-payment of electricity bills. Under the Electricity Act, 2003 (amended in 2007), a number of citizens have already been booked for power theft and outstanding bills.

As a penal measure, many supply lines have been disconnected. The state electricity department collected large sums in the first few days of the drive. The department has also decided to fix power metres for all consumers to ensure commensurate billing although the initiative has come a bit too late.

Corruption within the electricity department is a major cause of Manipur’s power crisis. In many cases, power is pilfered with the connivance of electricity department officials. There have been instances where employees of the state electricity department have written off dues by fudging electricity consumption records. No-objection certificates are easy to come by if a consumer is willing to grease the palm of officials concerned.

In many houses both in the valley and the hill district, meter boxes have not been installed. So the power tariff is calculated on a completely ad hoc basis, leaving room for manipulation and official corruption. The general public is fully aware that it is not only the common people who default in paying their power bills but also several government departments (Rs 22 crore). What action will be taken against such departments is the natural question that exercises the minds of common citizens. But no answers are available.

At the time of writing this report, the power tariff collection drive was still continuing in the state, mostly in the valley areas. Altogether 20 power pilferers, including two women, were arrested. The anti-power theft drive was spearheaded by N. Sarat, chief engineer of the state electricity department.

Sarat, however, insisted that the drive against unauthorised connections was launched as per an announcement made earlier and had nothing to do with the court's directive. The chief engineer explained that the Electricity Act could not be affectively implemented all these years due to the delay in appointment of judicial officers – judges as wells as assistant public prosecutors. “The necessary appointments have now been made and hence the crackdown,” he said.

While the drive is in full swing in the valley, the hill district of the state by and large remains outside its purview. The entire hill district has electricity today, but residents do not have land in their own names. The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act 1960 has not yet been implemented in these hill villages. So it is difficult for the electricity department to raise bills and collect electricity tariff from the villagers in these areas. “This will drive a further wedge between the people of the valley and residents of the hill district,” says Sukham Nanda, a consumer.

Under the provisions of the Electricity Act, a special court has been set up to try cases of power theft and tariff default. But many questions remain unanswered. Will the government departments, too, be brought to book for power tariff arrears?

Those in the know argue that the way forward for the electricity department is to introduce new technologies like underground cables and air pocket sealed cables in order to stop illegal tapping. Introduction of a prepaid billing system for electricity consumers has also been suggested. “All these measures would help end the power crisis in Manipur," a lecturer of environmental science at Maharaj Bodhchandra College, Imphal told TSI.

During the hearing of the PIL, Justice Potsangbam had observed that Nagaland gets uninterrupted power supply although it does not produce any electricity of its own. On the other hand, Manipur, which is a state that generates its own electricity, is unable provide uninterrupted power to its people. Behind that irony is a story of years of ineptitude.

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Bitter reality check for US, Israel

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Freedom lies behind a door, closed shut It can only be knocked down with a bleeding fist- Egyptian Poet Ahmad Shawqi (1869-1932)

After seeing US and Israel dithering over the mass uprising in Egypt, one can't help but recall the days leading to the Iranian Revolution. The cables sent by the American and other western Embassies in Tehran to their respective capitals in those days make a humorous read. Phrases like “Epitome of stability”, “Island of Stability”, “Rock solid support”, etc kept the intelligence bosses napping as Ayatollah Khomeini pulled the rug beneath the despot.

Similarly, the comments coming from intelligence bosses at Washington and Tel Aviv prior to the Egyptian uprising were peppered with similar phrases. Noted Israeli analyst Gideon Levy recounts how Israeli intelligence officers, along with their alleged best brain on Egypt, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, were briefing the country's top bosses that “Egypt was still in our hand” and how "everything is under control". They were under the impression that Cairo was not Tunis and that Mubarak was too strong to be unseated. To give credibility to his report, Ben-Eliezer also maintained that he was in regular touch with his Egyptian counterparts and they were assured that everything was under control.

The stark similarity clearly indicates how less Israeli and western agencies have learnt about the way people act and react.

“We have become tangential in the region. I'll say that US policy in the Middle East is not on purpose evil. The targets are novel. But the problem is, like an old man, the US' complete reference system is dispiritedly obsolete and no longer holds any meaning,” said Robert Grenier, a CIA veteran in the region with over three decades of experience, to TSI.

On the other hand, when Mubarak appointed intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as his deputy, he was essentially playing his last ace in the kitty. Suleiman suits well to both Israelis and Americans. Any kindergarten student can tell that Suleiman, for all practical purposes, had no hold on the Egyptian streets. So why was he chosen? Well, highly placed sources close to this correspondent believe that he was zeroed in on because nobody in Egypt — not even Mubarak himself — knows the men in olive green fatigues better than him. Suleiman, as it turns out, has spent his career keeping officers in line, and on their toe. And if sources are to be believed, the guy knows the profile and history of every single officer in the Egyptian Army by heart and can predict their loyalty or the lack of it by mere sniffing. Naturally, he is going to be Washington's Man Friday in Cairo. And the first job he is expected to do is to make the security apparatus, which has evaporated since last Friday evening, fall in line.

In fact, the most interesting role in this entire episode has been played by the Egyptian Army and even the police. Hosni Mubarak was a man in uniform till he decided to enjoy further largesses. However, even after taking on the mantle of a dictator, he always made sure that his officers got duly rewarded in cash and kind. However, as is the way of the world, there exists no gratitude in politics.

Another veteran CIA man of the region Robert Baer tells TSI, “The forces, as well as the police, has realised that this a mass protest where people from all classes and religions are participating. It is not like the past when they were asked to run through a rag-tag group of agitators or fundamentalists. They thus realised that it will be insane and harmful to their health if they are perceived to be siding with a regime that itself does not know whether it will see the next sunrise or not.”

Somewhere in between, Western capitals are desperately praying that the uprising will choose Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as its leader. In fact, they are doing more than merely praying. One needs to just monitor the shifting (and often conflicting) positions and tone taken by CNN and BBC in the past week to understand this larger game. The only problem is that ElBaradei holds far less sway over the Egyptian population than the Western powers have over him.

Theoretically, it is possible that in any interim government dominated by the men in olive green, ElBaradei will act as a straw man. Generals know that he does not have a support base worth a dime and such men are risk free. But his role will finish then and there. Because after the interim government is set up, the elections will come and as much as you might like him, ElBaradei is bound to cut a sorry figure there.

“The likely winner of truly free polls would be the Muslim Brotherhood. They are not as radical as the Islamists. But the first thing they have promised to do if they win power is to hold a referendum on Egypt's diplomatic relations with Israel. And most Egyptians would vote to cancel it,” says Gwynne Dyer, an Arab world watcher based in London whose focus is the modus operandi of the Brotherhood.

Under the circumstances, there is also a space for the rise of the secular Left in the region, the death of which brought radical Islam to the forefront. One can be sure that Leftist voices in the region would be gearing up to act as a balancing force. After all, Mao himself said, “There is great chaos under heaven – the situation is excellent.”

As for the Americans and Israelis, they must understand that it is not enough to have a smattering of embassies in line and intelligence bosses in the pocket to be accepted in West Asia. It is also essential that one invests in goodwill.

In the context, I can not resist the temptation to use the social media joke started by the celebrated Arab-American writer and a friend of mine, Ismail Khalidi. He tweeted, #US and #Israel change relationship status with #Egypt to “It's complicated” on Facebook. #Lebanon, #Syria & #Palestine 'Like' this.

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Planman Technologies release: 2G Scam reflects the rot in our system

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His apartment is being whitewashed. So N.Vittal, former Chief Vigilance Commissioner, takes us to his daughter's house on the first floor of the same building. “I am lucky. I have my daughter living in the same building,” he says. Inside, he settles on a sofa strewn with his granddaughter's dolls and opens up on the rot in the system. Excerpts from an interview with N. Asokan:

What is your observation on the 2G scam?
This has been the biggest scam in independent India. We have seen many scams since 1947. But after liberalisation in 1991, different types of scams related to the shaping of government policies have come to light. What we are witnessing now is the corporate sector shaping policies for their convenience. The 2G scam shows what is wrong with governance in the country and how corruption has seeped into every aspect of public life. Not only politics, but also the bureaucracy, corporate sector, and media are affected. Even the the judiciary and defence have been affected. As a 73-year-old man, I had multiple problems in my body a few years back. Many experts coordinated for my recovery. Governance in India suffers from multiple organ failure.

What is the way out?
Four medical experts had to work in tandem to save my life. Similarly, we need four doctors who can pull India out of this mess – the judiciary, the Election Commission of India, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and CVC.

But aren't these agencies, too, mired in controversy?
I agree. If a doctor has to cure someone, he himself should not be sick. The 2G scam is the culmination of the rot that started in 1947. The above four agencies should cure themselves before setting out to rectify the system. I have a simple suggestion. These institutions must be manned by the right people. Take the CVC case. Apply the 2T formula. One T is transparency. It means everybody knows how things are done and there is no room for mischief. The other is TINA – there is no alternative. Political leaders will do a right thing for the public and the country only when there is no alternative. Otherwise politics is driven by greed and selfishness. In the CVC case, there should have been transparency in appointment and there should have been no alternative but to select the right man. I am waiting for the SC to decide in the current CVC case. I visualise that future PMs and Home Ministers will have no alternative but to follow a transparent way of selection. The government of India is going through a process of cleansing. Because the way the SC has intervened, it is likely to lay down a standard system that I hope will lead to some good.

Is there greater tolerance for corruption in society now?
I don't think so. I meet many people and address so many meetings. There is huge opposition against corruption. But people are helpless. They have no way out.

Telecom minister Kapil Sibal has rejected the CAG report. What are your comments?
Kapil Sibal is an extremely intelligent lawyer. A lawyer always argues for the case he has taken. Because of political complications, as a clever lawyer he is making the best of a bad case.

Who is more responsible for corruption – businessmen, bureaucrats or politicians?
Narasimha Rao said bureaucrats are like trained horses. They act the way you want them to. Corporates want to have their way. Politicians want to grab power. I may blame politicians and businessmen but I can't absolve bureaucrats. Politicians can be thrown out every five years. Babus continue for 30 years.

You defended the CVC in an interview the other day.
No, I did not. My stand was prompted by the fact that politicians try to control every post. People are calling for Thomas' resignation. If he resigns, the case is over and the SC need not give a decision. A SC ruling will augur well for the future. That's why I said Thomas should stay.

When Sukh Ram was communications minister, you were the telecom secretary. Did you face any pressure?
There was no pressure at all. The minister is supreme. If I suggest something and the minister overrules me, I will resubmit it for reconsideration. If it is not accepted yet again, I will carry out the order. I appeared as a witness in the CBI court in the Sukh Ram case. He was sentenced for three years. When I became CVC, I called on the Vice President Mr Krishna Kant. He asked me how a man like me had risen to this position in our system? I told him I have been following a principle called Vittal amendment to the Franklin Principle. Benjamin Franklin said two things are unavoidable in life: death and taxes. But in Vittal's amendment to this, four things are unavoidable. They are death, taxes, transfer and retirement (laughs).

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Planman Technologies press release: The cancer of corruption has eaten into the vitals of Indian society.

Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips

The cancer of corruption has eaten into the vitals of Indian society. It has already done immense damage to our society. If the public servants are corrupt, the whole structure of society would be upset and the policies of government would be adversely affected. Thus, a corrupt public servant is a menace to society.

This was the verdict Special CBI Judge V. K. Maheshwari delivered while convicting Sukh Ram. But in his hometown on the banks of the Beas in Himachal Pradesh, he is considered a Messiah.

Mandi town was just a blip on the radar; it was long neglected until Sukh Ram came as its gallant saviour. He won five Assembly elections and three Lok Sabha elections from Mandi. Although now retired from active politics, he enjoys great veneration in his constituency. His immense popularity has led his son Anil Sharma to victory in three elections from the constituency.

This is in spite of the fact that the CBI seized Rs 2.45 crore in cash from his official residence and Rs 1.16 crore from his house in Mandi in 1996. The money was allegedly collected by committing irregularities in awarding a telecom contract. A Delhi court convicted him in February 2009. The case is now pending in the Delhi High Court but the people of Mandi are not bothered.

The people of Mandi love him and for good reasons. Says Rajesh Mahendru, a businessman and Congress worker, “Mandi was neglected. Pandit Sukh Ram brought us roads, schools, water supply and jobs. The television tower came up because of him, he developed the Indira Market here and he was responsible for setting up the army recruitment centre.”

Many echo this sentiment. People talk of him bringing telephone connectivity to remote villages and far flung areas like Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur. Shimla-based veteran journalist Rama Sharma says, “He was totally pro-Himachali and he worked for the benefit of the ordinary Himachali. The state owes a lot to him.”

By Nirupama Dutt

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How the Arab uprising is a Change of civilisation and how it brings an end to the American double standards. Also what India Must Learn

The kind of double standards practiced by America for decades, even as it arrogantly talks about democracy and preaches the virtues of free speech, dissent and human rights to the world from a pulpit, is a shame to say the least. The fact is, be it Latin America, Asia or Africa, America has always supported brutal dictators who have tortured and killed their own citizens in the most horrific manner. Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua and Bolivia are classic examples from Latin America. South Korea and Indonesia were classic examples in Asia; and Pakistan, of course, is the ultimate showcase of American double standards. During the Cold War, when the Soviet Union was the foe, American strategic cowboys used to argue that propping up unsavory dictators in strategic pockets was a necessary evil because America had to stop the march of Communism, which apparently was supposed to be far worse when it came to freedom, free speech, dissent and human rights. After the Soviet Union disappeared and Communism was no longer the enemy it was for decades, many had hoped that America would actually help other nations move away from dictatorships and authoritarian regimes to democracies. Sadly, those hopes were belied and crushed when America started citing the Global War on Terror as an excuse to encourage and prop up nasty dictators. Of course, most of these dictators happen to be now in the Arab world whose oil reserves are the real reasons for American interest rather than the mumbo jumbo and nonsense double speak about democracy and human rights.

Many readers of this magazine were not born in 1979 when the first people’s movement swept across a country in West Asia – better known by American strategic cowboys as the Middle East. I am talking about Iran, the country that America is trying very hard to isolate, punish and even pulverize if given half a chance. For decades prior to 1979, the ruler of Iran – the Shah – was a staunch ally of America, as well as of Israel. In fact, the Americans had installed the reign of the Shahs in Iran by happily encouraging a coup against a popular and democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, because that man had refused to bow down to the diktats of Uncle Sam. In comparison, the Shahs were deeply unpopular, extremely authoritarian and ruled Iran ruthlessly with an iron fist – using torture, detention and even murder by its secret service to smother dissent. All of a sudden in 1978, America was caught napping as popular protests by citizens swept through the cities of Iran. Ayatollah Khomeini came back from exile and the Shah had to flee Iran in disgrace as the country became an Islamic Republic. Since then, the “staunch ally” Iran has become an implacable enemy of America.

There was a sense of ironic déjà vu as I read with excitement about citizens in Tunisia rising in popular revolt and throwing out the dictator – a staunch American ally who ruled that country ruthlessly for more than two decades. That sense was reinforced when reports started pouring in from other Arab nations about citizens marching on the streets demanding that their hated dictators give up power to the people. Egypt has become a symbol and icon of the suppressed aspirations of millions of Arabs finally finding an outlet. The President Hosni Mubarak – again an American plant – has ruled Egypt like a classic dictator for more than 30 years and. Mubarak was in the process of trying to install his son as the next ruler when the sudden wave of protests engulfed his country. More than the people’s revolt in Tunisia – which actually opened the doors and the floodgates for citizens in other Arab nations – it is Egypt which is causing more sleepless nights in Washington. As of now, Egypt, to use that familiar cliché again, is a staunch ally of America and even a de facto ally of Israel. It is the only major country in the Arab world to have formally diplomatic as well as outwardly cordial relations with Israel. It is also the acknowledged leading nation and leader of the Arab world. What happens in the streets of Cairo and Alexandria has a huge impact on the rest of the Arab world. Of course, citizens in Arab nations have been watching in helplessness, frustration and rage till now as Egypt repeatedly winked at the atrocities committed by Israeli troops against innocent Palestinians in the name of fighting terror. Cables released by WikiLeaks also show that the United States has had no illusions about the regime. Washington and its allies now stand thoroughly exposed for using aid of over $2 billion a year and silence over internal repression to turn Cairo into a crucial agent of their regional policy, particularly in suppressing demands for justice for the Palestinians. The Egyptian people's uprising is showing the world that this highly prized Western ally is utterly devoid of legitimacy. And without doubt, that message will echo through every other dictatorship in the region.

As of right now, a nightmare is haunting Tel Aviv and Washington over the nature of the regime that will take over eventually in Egypt. The best case scenario for the strategic and foreign policy cowboys in America and Israel is a situation in which Egypt evolves from a strong arm dictatorship to a country ruled by a moderate Islamic party like in Turkey. Incidentally, Turkey is yet another staunch ally of America and Israel in that region of the world awash with oil, which is increasingly taking a stand that goes against the stated strategic interests of America and Israel. In the recent past, Turkey even sent a ship on a humanitarian mission to help Palestinians whose life had become a living hell because of a blockade imposed by Israel. That ship was attacked and stormed by Israeli troops, killing Turkish as well as American citizens who were going to Palestine on a mission of peace and empathy. No wonder, relations between Turkey and Israel have soured dramatically after the event and many have even started nursing fond hopes that an ‘Islamic’ Turkey will become the new leader against an Imperial America and its ally Israel. Egypt becoming another Turkey will surely become a headache. But it will be a nightmare if the country falls into the hands of Islamists like the Muslim Brotherhood – the organization that gave the Al Qaeda number two Al-Zawahari to the world – take control of the country and emerge as another Iran, implacably hostile to America and Israel. And don’t think for a moment that such a situation will never come to pass. Who had ever dreamt even in 1978 of Iran becoming what it is now in 2011?

No one had thought that citizens of the Arab world, suppressed for so long and denied both political and economic opportunities, would be in a position to rise in revolt against the dictators. But Tunisia showed the way and a firestorm is sweeping across the Arab world. In fact, many analysts are calling this the ‘Soviet Union’ moment for America as history turns full circle in a wickedly ironical way. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, it was at the peak of its military might – an undisputed and arrogant Imperial power that nurtured, nourished and supported the assorted dictators who ran Communist paradises in East Europe. But Afghanistan became a symbol of the limits of Soviet power. It is a known fact that the fiasco in Afghanistan triggered events that led to virtually all dictators being ousted in East Europe and even the Soviet Union eventually disintegrating. Now, America has invaded Iraq and killed hundreds of thousands in a brutal manner using whimsical after whimsical excuse. And it is fighting a war against terrorism in Afghanistan that seems to kill more innocent civilians than actual terrorists. What has started in Tunisia could become the bellwether for America facing its Soviet moment in the Arab world. For too long, it has propped up dictators even as it preached the virtues of democracy and human rights. And now, the people of the Arab world are finally saying enough is enough. The multi-billion dollar question is: will America and Israel accept that it is inevitable for new regimes to emerge in the Arab world, those which would be no longer staunch allies and may actually take stands that would go against the strategic interests of America and Israel? If US and Israel don’t accept the inevitable and instead try once again to stifle the genuine aspirations of the Arab people, there is little doubt that America would earn the undying hatred and enmity of Arabs on the street.

There is a lesson here for India too. In past, by refusing to condemn the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, India lost a huge amount of goodwill in the Arab and the Muslim world that Pakistan exploited brilliantly. Now, the pendulum is swinging the other way and India is taking a public stance against Iran just because the new strategic partner America is pressurizing it to do so. If India needs to earn brownie points in the global image race, there’s no better a chance than now. India must openly support the process that will throw out the dictators of the Arab world – sooner or later. If not, it would have lost many friends and friendships in the Arab world when new regimes inevitably take over.

To me, the uprising in Cairo is nothing short of a civil revolution! And it has the potential to not only transform the political scenario of the Middle East region but also every other region wherein anarchy and dictatorship have been the mainstays! Right now, for example, China's 457 million Internet users (and 180 million bloggers) can no longer use the Chinese word for "Egypt" in microblogs or search engines. Why is China worried about controlling the usage of the word ‘Egypt’ on the net? The government's goal is to pre-empt any contagion effect that popular uprisings against autocracy in the Middle East might have in China, which might inspire the country's ranks of discontented! Although India might not have gone to the extent of China, but our national media too – most certainly in silent conspiracy with the government’s wishes – had been conspicuously silent over the entire issue for a good 10 days. Even now, it is not giving the kind of importance that it should be to the behemoth socio-political upheaval in progress. On the other hand, if we were to benchmark media’s ideal role, then one should be looking up to the Arabic satellite TV channel Al Jazeera, which has been giving rock solid support to people's causes, inspiring Tunisia's brave people who ended Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's 23-year rule, and also going the full distance to support Egyptians. In fact, one needs to admire the overall influential role played by Al Jazeera – the standout voice of aggressive, independent journalism in the Arab world – in channeling popular discontent through the region. Egypt seems to have already shut down the operations of Al-Jazeera – blaming it for encouraging the country's uprising – clearly demonstrating that the repressive powers of the central government are still functioning.

What is important now is how Tunisia’s revolution and Egypt’s uprising are interpreted and implemented, within the country and outside it. Ben Ali’s fall may prove to be an isolated event – each unhappy country is unhappy in its own way. Still, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, all contain political and demographic ingredients at least as perilous as those that combusted in Tunisia: youthful populations, high unemployment, grotesque inequality, abusive police, reviled leaders, and authoritarian systems that stifle free expression. All I can conclude is that the Arab world has for far too long suffered from religious extremism and dictatorship. In today’s connected world, where every one has similar access to what’s happening across the world, it’s tough to have any repressive religious viewpoint or regime attempting to tie people down for too long! It’s time for the Arab world to accept this reality. This current wave of revolution will not only remove the American backed dictators, but hopefully replace religious extremism by much more moderate values of the kind that will help the Arab world to integrate in a far more democratic manner with the rest of the world – something similar to what Indonesia is attempting. And that, truly, would make it a change of a civilization.

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The Sopori scion strings a success story

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The recipient of ‘j&k state award’ this republic day, 31-year-old santoor maestro and music composer, abhay rustum sopori, became the youngest person ever to receive this honour. the heir of the 200-year-old sopori legacy speaks to anu gulmohar about his life’s mission of reviving the cultural glory of his state

Congratulations on winning the J&K State Award 2011. How does it feel to be the youngest ever recipient of this award?
Normally such awards are given at quite an elderly age. It’s nice that people in the government have acknowledged the kind of work I’ve been doing. I’m thankful to them. At the same time, I feel that the duties and responsibilities that I took on, to revive the culture of the state, have increased. The state is literally honouring you with some more expectations!

Tell us about the annual SaMaPa Aalap Festival.
We started in 2006. Till about 2005, the cultural scenario was very glum, to the extent that if 50-60 people were present at a concert here in Jammu, it would be deemed a super-hit concert! Being a musician, one knows that if you go to play at a music festival and the audience expected is 50, it’s really horrible. Though, by the grace of God, when I performed, I think it was the first time there were about 300 people in the concert. Within two years I was playing to an audience of 2,500 people. In 2010, the overall audience at the 15-days festival was more than 25,000. Over the years, a cultural forum has been created; SaMaPa Aalap Festival is part of a cultural revolution in J&K.

If you had not been the son of Pandit Bhajan Sopori, do you believe you would have still been a musician?
I don’t think so. It’s the biggest thing that could have happened to me – to have been born as his son. Whatever I’m doing is not just my thoughts, but the thoughts of all my ancestors. It’s something in my blood since the last 10 generations. And the sanskar and thoughts, which I’ve inherited, compelled me to think about others even in my early years of establishment. If I was not born in this family, I would just have been an ordinary person.

I have two nephews – one is three years old and the other is about 10 months old. Whenever we play, even the younger one comes and listens. Their training has already begun! In a typical guru-shishya family, it’s very difficult to say when the training actually starts. It starts even before one is born; it’s in your genes.

You have also learnt western classical music and are a visiting faculty at the University of Massachusetts. How does their method compare with the more traditional guru-shishya mode of teaching in a gharana? Which, personally, do you feel is better?
In our classical method you have to sit with your guru, but when it comes to western, the formulation is all done. Western style is very good to understand the composition. It’s a very scientific way of looking at music. Our music is more innovation based.

Can we expect you to compose music for Bollywood films too?
I hope so! I would say it’s in the pipeline. One of the best things that can happen to a composer is when he can compose music for films. Till now my focus was on the J&K state, now I feel we have reached a level, after five years, where a lot of things are happening, so I can look into other things. I’m not taking up too many initiatives on my part, but hopefully something might happen.

Do you think because of the exclusivity of the gharanas, plenty of talented people miss the opportunity to be taught by the best?
To blame the gurus for not reaching out to the masses is not always right. Undoubtedly, that has happened. Many of our great musicians have not proved to be very good teachers. But if you see my family – my grandfather has thousands of disciples. He’s hailed as the Father of Music in the state. There have been several cases where gurus have concentrated more on their children rather than other disciples. Also, you can’t expect revolutions to happen while you sit in palaces. You need to work on the ground, whether it is the Aalap Festival or working with the people here. The last 20 years have been very disturbing here in J&K. The graph has really gone down on the kind of students we get.

From your very young point of view, how do you see your music & the Sufi spirit of Kashmir helping it come out of its current state of confusion and conflict?
Well, it already has. Despite the events in J&K after 1989, there are people who say that they are Indians. What makes them say this? It’s their culture, which makes that happen. Does any part of the world become a part of the Indian territory by simply raising a flag? Putting the blame on the Indian government is not right; at the same time I think that the focus on culture has to be there. I’ve seen people leaving behind negative elements and coming together and forward, thanks to music. It has happened and it will continue to happen by the grace of God. In a few years, we’ll definitely see the culture of this region scale new heights.

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Asia English School Conflict Resolved Smoothly

The controversy surrounding Asia English School in Drive-In area was resolved on Thursday after a meeting between agitating parents and the school administration

Following aggressive representations made by angry guardians, the school authorities partially rolled back the fee hike and also suspended its vice-principal for misbehaving with girl students. On Thursday, the parents blocked the main gate to prevent students from going into the school. Apprehending trouble, the school administration had intimated the city police and cops had provided security within the campus.

For close to two hours, the slogan shouting continued till a delegation of the agitating parents was allowed inside to interact with the school administration. The school trustee M P Chandran met with the delegation and assured it that vice-principal J P Joshi has been suspended following allegations of misconduct against him. Chandran also said that a probe is being conducted to verify the truth of allegations against Joshi.

The school's trustee also assured that the proposed fee hike will now be cut. Chandran also announced: "This time the hike will be only 10% of the existing fees. And, from now onwards whenever there is a fee hike, parents will be taken into confidence for consultation."

The two students who had been given school leaving certificates (SLC) on Wednesday after the parents' agitation too have been re-inducted into the school. Sailesh Patel, whose sons had been given SLC by the school on Wednesday , said: "Later on Wednesday night, all aggrieved parents met at my house to decide the future course of action . We have spoken to the school's management and it has taken all our grievances into consideration and the matter has been settled amicably ."

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Which is the next Bihar

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Tathagata Bhattacharya analyses the decline and fall of Maharashtra and Karnataka.

It's an irony that we have to compare Karnataka and Maharashtra, home to Bangalore and Mumbai, showpieces of a new India that according to US President Barack Obama has already 'emerged', to Bihar which until recently was a metaphor for bad governance, corruption and utter breakdown of law and order. This points to the ability of the Indian political class to even bring states that represent the nation's software prowess and industrial-financial might to the brink of disaster. In Karnataka, they have of course been ably supported in this endeavour by the Reddy brothers and the Baldota Group whose mining riches dictate the terms even inside the state Legislative Assembly. In Maharashtra, specially in the Mumbai-Pune belt, the real estate developers' and builders' cartels have lent their helping hands.


Tushar Gandhi, grandson of the Father of the Nation, says, “Once upon a time, Maharashtra used to rank on the top in terms of businesses that made Mumbai the nation's financial hub. It was a model to be emulated by other states of India. But now, the parameter, means and meaning of development have changed. Corruption has become the principal means of development. Politicians and bureaucrats are the main culprits for such a situation. In case of the Adarsh Housing Society scam and other such instances, politicians as well as bureaucrats are equally responsible. Basically, it is a nexus of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and builders.
Down South, Devnooru Mahadeva, the prominent Dalit writer from Karnataka, says, “What is happening here is basically an ego war between the Baldotas (a mining group), the Reddys and Santosh Lad. Rest of the leaders are their puppets. All the three major parties – the Congress, BJP and JDS have completely failed to deliver the minimum standards of governance.”

Allegations of governance failure also ring out from Maharashtra. An activist lawyer and the founder of Sahyog Trust, Asim Sarode, says, “It's not an issue of corruption alone but one of bad governance. Considering that good governance is an integral part of fundamental rights, the latest scams which have hit the state are violations of the same. It's misuse of authority by the politicians. They are committing a breach of the trust reposed in them by the people. We are still missing the mature participatory aspect of a full-fledged democracy. The laws against corruption are very weak. One has to prove everything against the accused. The burden is on proving guilt and not on absolution of the same. The approach in running schemes needs immediate change. The government is not doing the citizens any favour by launching these schemes. It is right of the citizens and the government is supposed to serve the people. The politicians in India need to learn to behave as trustees of national property instead of using them as their personal possessions.

The communal atmosphere in Karnataka has crossed all limits, feels writer Vaidehi, a Sahitya Akademi awardee. “Development initiatives have lost their track and security of women is at its lowest. Even if the voices of flood victims reach their peak, nobody is there to listen to them. The recent governments have been blinded by the lure of power and money. The mining lobby is snatching the state's resources and wealth,” are her pointed words.

Journalist Jatin Desai attributes Maharashtra's industrial decline to poor governance and lack of planning and implementation. “Nowadays, entrepreneurs maintain a safe distance from Maharashtra and they don’t want to invest more for commercial purposes. Electricity has become the biggest problem with 6 to 8 hours of power cuts every day. The GDP growth rate has also come down. Look at Gujarat. In the past, there was shortage of electricity but the situation has improved by leaps and bounds. The state has reached the top slot as far as GDP is concerned. Narendra Modi had personally contacted Ratan Tata and offered him the required support for the Nano project. Could not have Maharashtra done the same,” the angry scribe asks.

Information Technology and manufacturing & trading have brought boons and banes for both Karnataka and Maharashtra. While they have brought riches and international laurels to Bangalore and Mumbai, the abject poverty of the Bijapur area and farmers committing suicide in Vidarbha have brought disgrace. Inequalities have increased manifold and almost 20 years after the nation started opening up its markets, the trickle-down effect is still mentioned in future tense.

The state governments have been unable to see through these problems. But in these regard, the lack of foresight of Central leaders, blinded by the mirage of the success of the Neo-liberal model of growth, also needs to be factored in.

Well-known literary critic and progressive thinker G.Rajshekar thinks, “There is a constant attack on the livelihood of poor people. The recently passed ill-conceived Prevention of Cow Slaughter Bill would take away the right to food from poor people. Secondly, one can gauge how the establishment is least concerned about the people by the way the government has treated flood victims. It was a well-orchestrated effort to portray the bureaucracy in positive light and nothing more. Thirdly, the scandalous privatisation of education and health sectors has put these out of the reach of the poor and the marginalised. The state of government schools is such that nobody sends their children even for mid-day meals. Fourth and most important, Karnataka lacks a vibrant democracy.”

Kodihalli Chandrashekar, farmers’ leader and the president of Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha, is a voice of the poor and the marginalised. This is what he has to say about the state of affairs in Karnataka, “People who are involved with the granite, land and sand mafia are ruling the roost in Karnataka. This trend started with the BJP-JDS government . In the 1970s and 80s, we used to look at states like Bihar and say that Karnataka was much better in terms of law and order . We never thought we would go down like this. This is the reality today.”
Professor Sangita S. N. of the Institute for Social and Economic Change agrees. “The politicians are busy resolving their own issues and have no time to dedicate to governance. Therefore they fail to keep a check on the bureaucracy as well. Taking the advantage of the situation, the bureaucracy hardly performs or delivers its duties on time. The mining lobby is the king here,” is her opinion.

If one needs to find a ray of light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's for the sake of feel-good journalism, a possible silver lining is how Nitish Kumar has changed the perception of Bihar. Bihar today is no longer lawless, gone are the days of caste massacres, the recent Assembly elections have been as peaceful as they are in the most tranquil states of the country.

In a world of constant change, Bihar is moving up the ladder and both Karnataka and Maharashtra are slipping fast. It will only be a matter of time before the latter two replace the former as the new standards of bad governance, corruption and breakdown of law and order. The onus is on the Indian political class to mend their ways and secure the state of the nation.

(With inputs from B.S.Manjunath, Rakesh N.S., Danish Riaz and Shruti Murkutkar)

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B. K. hariprasad, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee

Judging by the current situation, is Karnataka going the Bihar way?
Yes, I agree. Grabbing power through corrupt practices has emerged as a new phenomenon in Karnataka. The mining lobby and the new rich of the state have set this trend. The number of those people who came to politics through corrupt practices and by buying every vote has increased. The recent power game when two brothers virtually dislodged the Yeddyurappa government is a testimony to this fact.

Who do you blame for such a situation that has risen in the state?
BJP as well as JDS are responsible as they promoted such elements.

Don’t you think that Congress is also affected by these types of elements?
No, the Congress has never prompted such elements. Though there are rich people in the Congress, they have never misused their positions. The party has never encouraged such practices.

What is the way to curb this?
Strong amendments in the Anti-defection Law is the need. Moreover, some electoral reforms are necessary to stop the practice of horse trading.

What about Maharashtra where more or less the same situation prevails?
Maharashtra is a different matter. NCP is our coalition partner there. If you are referring to corruption or non-performance of the government, it is because of the compulsions of coalition governance and interference of the Maharashra sugar lobby.

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Real estate is the culprit

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Sanjay Nirupam, Lok Sabha MP (Maharashtra)

How do you see the recent change of guard in the state?
This has not happened for the first time in Maharashtra. In the past too, many governments could not complete their full terms or the leadership changed before the tenure got over.

What is the root cause behind this?
The main culprit behind such instability is real estate. The recent change has proved this beyond all doubts. One has to understand the psychology of the Marathis who generally don’t migrate to other states. Maharashtra, being an industrial powerhouse, also attracts people from other parts. This has created a shortfall of shelters. In this situation, there are ample chances to play into the hands of the real estate lobby. The recent change of guard can be seen against this backdrop.

In the recent past, Gujarat has attracted more FDI. Comments?
Some states have attracted more FDI but neither the pace of industrialisation nor trade has slackened. The diamond market, the stock exchange, the bullion market are still in Maharashtra.

Do you see possibility of a two-party system rather than a coalition govt?
In a way, you can say that the present government is a Congress government as the NCP is an extended part of the Congress. This is the eleventh year of the Congress-NCP alliance. In other words, you can say that the NCP is a regional party which has its own base in some parts of the state.

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