Exemplary Netas

Our netas are truly great. They lead by example, their leadership skills being constantly on public display, which common people ought to emulate. Take our fundamental duties, for instance. The first duty, among ten others, that every citizen of India is obliged to fulfil is to “abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem”.

Our neta’s allegiance to our constitution is complete. Whenever there is any difficulty in following our constitution, it is suitably amended so that it can truly be followed in letter and spirit. 

Staging walk outs and stalling the functioning of the houses of parliament and state assemblies are but a few ways our netas use to express their respect for the ideals of our constitution. Towards this end our MLAs - particularly those belonging to the northern and eastern states – who frequently hurl shoes, mikes and abuses; as well as damage property, tear up documents and manhandle their adversaries inside state assemblies, are way ahead of their national counterparts.

Bills are frequently passed with little or no debate. Keeping this in mind, the UPA government recently allotted just 36 hours of time for discussion on 30 bills in the ongoing monsoon session of the parliament. Whenever legislation pertaining to granting reservation based on caste or increasing their own perks and privileges are tabled, our leaders cut across party lines and exhibit great camaraderie to pass such laws unanimously. That the likes of Women’s Reservation Bill, which can benefit half of our population in one go, are never passed is quite another matter.

Recent Supreme Court judgement prohibiting criminals from contesting elections and unseating MPs and MLAs on being sentenced to two years or more in prison in a criminal case; or the Central Information Commission’s edict bringing political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information Act 2005, that seek to cleanse our system and restrain the supreme authority of our leaders has not gone down well with them. Predictably, they are resolutely against both these orders and are exhibiting exemplary unity in their endeavour to supersede them with legislation and amendments.

Our netas also show their respect for constitutional institutions from time to time. The Central Bureau of Investigation, for example, is frequently used to settle political scores while the Central Vigilance Commission is deployed for cornering uncompromising bureaucracy.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), which exposes scam after scam committed by our ministers and their associates, is perhaps the only constitutional establishment which is functioning independently without any political interference.

If our national netas have accomplished so much, our Uttarakhandi ones can do still better. On 15 August this year MLA Ganesh Joshi of the BJP and Mussoorie Municipal Chairman Manmohan Singh Malla of the Congress argued, roughed each other up and almost came to blows on the podium in their bid to unfurl the tricolor to mark the 67^th Independence Day in Mussoorie, thereby exhibiting a unique way of respecting our National Flag.

Our netas will, hopefully, not keep us waiting for long to show us how we can respect our National Anthem!

(Published in Garhwal Post on 23/08/2013)

International Day of Children Victims of Aggression

In the wake of the miseries borne by a large number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel's acts of aggression, a dismayed United Nations General Assembly, on 19 August 1982, decided to observe 4 June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse and affirm the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.

In his message on 3 June 1983, the eve of the first International Day of Children Victims of Aggression, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar emphasized on the urgent need to “recall the sacred duty, enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, to ensure that all children, without any exception whatsoever, enjoy special protection; and that they are given all possible opportunities and facilities to enable them to develop in a normal and healthy manner, in conditions of freedom and dignity, and to grow up in an atmosphere of affection and security.”

Refugees Magazine (Vol. 1, No. 122, dated 01 March 2001), a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) publication, is an exclusive edition titled “Children” that lays bare shocking facts. At the turn of the century there were nearly 50 million uprooted peoplearound the world - refugees who sought safety in other countries and people displaced within their own countries - half of them being children under the age of 18. More than two million children are believed to have been killed, another six million wounded and one million orphaned in war and terrorist conflicts in the 1990s.

An estimated 3,00,000 boys and girls, some less than 10 years old, were also serving as soldiersaround the world, with many girl soldiers being forced into different forms of sexual slavery. Children were also found to be the main victims of 60 million land mines in 87 countries that were claiming thousands of lives every year. School buildings, teachers, children and civilians were increasingly becoming deliberate targets in warfare, a glaring example being the destruction of 45 percent schools in Mozambique during its 1977 - 1992 civil war.

The magazine also identifies HIV/AIDS - that had killed 3.8 million children and orphaned another 13 million in the 1990s - as one of the greatest threats to children, particularly in countries ravaged by war. Sale of children for exploitation for labour, sex and pornography, and the fact that preventable diseases and malnutrition claim the lives of ten million children worldwide under the age of five each year, are some of the other truths uncovered.

The UN 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most important legal framework for the protection of children. Like the Constitution of India, it is derived from a core set of human values and ethical promises based on the natural dignity and equal inalienable rights of all humanity, including children. It incorporates children’s civil, political, social, economic, cultural and protection rights. The Convention has the highest number of state parties to any human rights treaty, approved by all countries except the United States and Somalia. With India's ratification on 2 December 1992, over 90 percent of the world's children came within the ambit of this Convention.

In December 2005 the Indian Parliament passed the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act under which the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007. NCPCR's obligation is to ensure that all laws, policies, programmes, and administrative mechanisms are in harmony with the child rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Another key duty of NCPCR is to inquire into complaints of violations of child rights, take suo moto cognisance of serious cases of their violation and examine factors that hinder their enjoyment. State level commissions have been established barely by half the states so far, though Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights was constituted on 10 May 2011.

Notwithstanding the existence of adequate legal framework, and mainly because of public indifference, children in our country continue to increasingly suffer from poverty, homelessness, abuse, neglect, preventable diseases, unequal access to education and the like. Child beggars at traffic signals, in the market place, outside malls, temples, bus and railway stations is a common sight across our country. Children can also be seen delving into garbage for food or discarded items they can use or sell. Exploitation of children also continues unabated in the form of their employment as domestic helps, dhabhas as well as in hazardous industries like construction, manufacture of beedis, bangles and fireworks. In spite of having the right to free and compulsory education up to the age of 14 many of our children are not enrolled in schools; and the ones that are drop out mid-way in large numbers.

Like her adult counterpart, the position of girl child is even worse. Atrocities against her begin even before she is born. Pre-natal sex determination tests, though banned, are extensively carried out and female fetuses are shamelessly aborted in our quest for a male heir. Within many homes, girls are made to work more and given lesser facilities than their brothers. Heinous crimes against women and girls like kidnapping, rape and murder are increasing day by day. Even infant in arms and two year old toddlers are not spared. The situation is nastiest not in some remote strife-torn location, but in and around New Delhi, the seat of the world’s largest democracy, the aggressors being not from across the border but home grown Indian males!

Consequently, there are only 940 females in India per 1000 men. Among the states (UTs excluded), Delhi and Haryana have the dubious distinction of occupying the last two positions with sex ratios of 866 and 877 respectively. Kerala occupies the top rank with 1084 and is also the only state where women outnumber men, while Uttarakhand with 963 is twelfth. The position in the 0-10 age group is worse though. The good news is that between 2001 and 2011 censuses the sex-ratio improved marginally by 7 nationally with most states registering increments. J&K (-17), Bihar (-5), Gujarat (-3) and Uttarakhand (-1) being the exceptions.

Trafficking of children also remains a serious problem in India. The nature and scope of trafficking range from industrial and domestic labour, to forced early marriages and commercial sexual exploitation. Existing studies show that over 40 per cent of women sex workers enter the trade before the age of 18 years. Thousands of girls are also moved into India from Nepal and Bangladesh every year for the same purpose. Moreover, for children who have been trafficked and rescued, opportunities for rehabilitation remains scarce and reintegration process arduous.

The situation continues to be grim as we join the rest of the world to observe the 31^st International Day of Children Victims of Aggression. The standards and principles articulated in the Convention can become a reality only when they are respected by everyone - within the family, in schools, institutions, communities, neighbourhoods and at all levels of administration. We have to shed our apathy and come together as mature citizens of India to put an end to our children’s plight and enforce, nurture and further their legitimate rights.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 05/06/2013 as Further Children's Rights)

Close contest - for second place !

Local Bodies elections are essentially the basic foundation of a democratic system, the kindergarten of politics of a free society.  Homegrown folks get a chance to try their hand at politics in their neighborhoods among people individually known to them, work for collective welfare and vital amenities, and, if they have it in them, emerge as state and national leaders of the future. The most important features of these elections are low key but personalized house to house campaigns and fierce competition for each vote as the victory margin is frequently in single digit. Being sort of a talent hunt, they attract a large number of participants and usually have a festive aura much like a local sports meet.

A large number of women candidates are contesting the upcoming 28^th April Dehra Dun Municipal Corporation elections as twenty seats out of sixty are earmarked for them. While this reservation is to ensure the participation of more ladies in our public bodies, more often than not, political parties dole out tickets to the wives or female relatives as stand-ins for the men they intend to field, rather than genuine deserving candidates. In this respect BJP has been the only major party that has not tried to circumvent the ladies seats by propping up proxies, but has, on the contrary, fielded women candidates from ten general seats as well.

Women are, without doubt, more honest, sincere, hardworking, dedicated and compassionate than men. At an election meeting I happened to be present at, I witnessed a rare show of feminine large heartedness, discipline and camaraderie. That of the sitting BJP legislator Anuradha Garg, who found herself out of contention as the boundaries of her constituency had been redrawn, canvassing vociferously and whole heartedly for Anita Singh, her party’s candidate from her area West Patel Nagar (ward no. 54) this time, instead of sulking or contesting as a rebel aspirant.

Congress, the other major political party, finds itself on a sticky wicket. Unpopular decisions, like imposition of VAT on LPG gas on one hand and its reduction on liquor on the other, taken by its government in office in Uttarakhand, will surely cost it dear across the state. Suryakant Dhasmana, the controversial candidate it has put up for the post of Mayor of Dehra Dun, will most likely nullify any anti-incumbency factor that BJP’s Vinod Chamoli would have faced under normal circumstances. Former mayor Manorama Sharma, who was made to withdraw in favour of Dhasmana, would perhaps been a better candidate.

BSP’s Rajni Rawat, who finished second ahead of the Congress candidate and gave a scare to Chamoli in 2008 as an independent, is the third big mayoral candidate in fray. It will be interesting to watch if the BSP ticket will bring Rawat more votes than she secured last time on her own. With barely a couple of days left for polling, Chamoli seems comfortably placed ahead of others and looks set for a second term. All eyes would rather be on the struggle between Dhasmana and Rawat for the second place!

In their bid to have their “yes men” down to the last rung, “high commands” sitting in New Delhi are increasingly interfering in the selection of candidates for local bodies, taking much of the sheen out of these elections. Not only should there be no meddling from political bigwigs, but even political parties should stay clear of such elections in order that all candidates have a level playing field and civic polls maintain their essence of the carnivals of democracy that they really are.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 24/04/2013)

Railway Budget – The Uttarakhand Mirage

Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal has presented a clever election year please all budget for 2013-14. His priorities include all the right things like safe operation of trains,  improvement in passenger amenities, safety and security, particularly for women and the differently abled; better catering on board trains and at stations; environment friendly initiatives; development of new dedicated freight corridors and strict financial discipline. Citing his ministry’s monetary crunch he has committed to provide for only 22 projects while promising to take up 24 others after obtaining necessary clearances for them from appropriate authorities.

In spite of financial constraints and the fact that our railway system is overstrained, he has   announced 106 new trains, increased the frequency 24, extended the run of 57 others and proposed 89 new surveys across the length and breadth of the country. This was probably inevitable as much of politics is played on this every year. And like most of his predecessors, Bansal has unabashedly allotted a disproportionately high number of 11 trains, besides setting up of a modern signaling equipment facility, to his own parliamentary constituency Chandigarh in a bid to ensure his victory in the next general elections.

Bansal has, cunningly, referred to all the railheads of Uttarakhand in his budget speech while giving a mere 3 new weekly trains, 1 daily passenger,  a minor extension and an extra weekly trip to the state. He has however, stated that he will pursue for approval of the nationally important Tanakpur - Bageshwar project, besides announcing surveys for doubling Dehra Dun - Haridwar  and Kotdwar – Najibabad lines.

A reply dated 6/11/2012 received from Railway Board in response to a query under RTI Act regarding the current status of some projects announced for the state in earlier budgets makes interesting reading. A survey for Dehra Dun – Saharanpur line, carried out by Satpal Maharaj during his stint as MoS for Railways with much fanfare in 1997, was shelved by Railway Board in 2000 after Rs. 4,20,000/- of taxpayer’s money had been spent on it. Kiccha – Khatima new line has not moved beyond the drawing board as our state government has refused to provide free land as per their initial commitment. Rishikesh – Karnprayag line announced with great enthusiasm in 2008 has not progressed beyond the survey stage. Laksar – Haridwar doubling is similarly languishing at the preliminary stage while up gradation of Harrawala station into a terminus has not been sanctioned at all.

Roorkee - Deoband new line, touted as a major project for Uttarakhand and which remains in the news off and on, was sanctioned in 2007-08 on 50:50 cost sharing with the state government. This project has progressed 20%, its estimated cost has more than doubled already, while it is still at the land acquisition stage. The project for development of facilities for running 18 coach rakes between Haridwar and Dehra Dun, also sanctioned in 2007-08, is merely 30% thorough. Lalkuan – Bareilly gauge conversion has been the only one that has been completed, probably because railways already had the land. It can thus be assumed that most of the new surveys announced this year will be of academic interest only.

Despite having six railheads, Uttarakhand in general and capital Dehra Dun in particular, is not adequately connected with the rest of the country. The malady lies not so much in the absence of services but in the fact that existing trains are mostly outdated and slow. While building infrastructure is time and cost intensive, new weekly trains are inadequate, also requiring the mandatory budgetary allocations and clearances.

Against this backdrop, the only possible solution for improving rail services in Uttarakhand lies in prudent management of existing facilities and improvements in the amenities already available, besides speeding up and rescheduling the existing trains.

Dehra Dun Mumbai express, for example, has been running on more or less the same time table since 1931. Having a scheduled halt every 18 kms, this grand old train is pitifully slow compared to all others on the Indian Railways network, consuming 12 hours between Dehra Dun and Nizamuddin which can be cut down to less than 8 like other express trains. It further needs to be speeded up by another 4 hours between Nizamuddin and Mumbai and rescheduled to depart from Dehra Dun around 7:00 PM, while its arrival time at Dehra Dun should be revised to around 9:30 AM, timings at Mumbai remaining unchanged. Its stoppages should also be reduced.

Bagh and Kalinga Utkal are among the other trains needing a relook at their schedules. LTT Haridwar AC express needs to be extended up to Dehra Dun and its journey time reduced by 4 hours by running it at Rajdhani speed. Timetables of other trains running in Uttarakhand can similarly be examined and restructured if necessary.

Dehra Dun railway station is currently equipped to handle short 13 coach rakes only. Older trains overcome this constraint by shedding and attaching some coaches at Haridwar. Newer trains to Indore (1200 km.), Howrah (1600 km.), Okha (1700 km.), Kochuveli (3500 km.), etc., however, do not follow this and run on short rakes throughout their journeys which puts a severe capacity constraint on them. It is suggested that all long distance trains add and detach extra coaches at Haridwar.

Such changes can be brought about quickly by simple resolutions passed by the Railway Board without any need for budgetary support. Our parliamentarians in New Delhi and state government in Dehra Dun can do us a great service by earnestly taking up these and any other similar suggestions with the appropriate authorities in Rail Bhawan and ensuring that these are implemented without delay. Will they oblige us? Or will they merely wait to see how many new surveys our state gets in the next budget!

(Published in Garhwal Post on 07/03/2013)

Citizens must extend support

The two ambitious drives, one to enforce road traffic rules and the other against the use of polythene bags, are currently on in Doon. While the officialdom needs to be acclaimed for their sincere efforts, though belated, it is the citizens who ought to support and adopt what is, ultimately, beneficial for all. But is this really happening?

There is a noticeable improvement in the city’s traffic since the ­present SSP initiated the campaign against law violators and rash drivers.  This has been possible only because a large number of police personnel are now posted at all traffic signals, major crossings as also better patrolling. It is observed that anarchy is back on the streets once the constabularies finish their duty for the day or are deployed elsewhere. While those following the rules are large in number, a handful of culprits spoil it for others besides putting all road users at a risk. A vast majority of these wrongdoers are men.

The crusade against polythene bags is interesting.  These bags first made an appearance in the country towards the end of the seventies and by the mid-eighties they had chocked the drainage systems of all our major cities, Dehra Dun included. It has, however, taken another three decades for our government agencies to launch a frontal attack on the menace here, earlier campaigns by Nagar Nigam and voluntary organizations notwithstanding. After official teams started issuing challans  and collecting fines from shopkeepers and customers, there has been a sharp decline in the use of such bags. While most shoppers, particularly women, have started carrying cloth or jute bags; and big shopkeepers have also changed over to paper bags; it is observed that it is business as usual for most vegetable and street hawkers the moment the raiding team turns its back, be it Karanpur, D.L. Road, Hanuman chowk or any other bazar.

Clearly, we Indians in general and males in particular are not willing to follow simple rules which should to come naturally to any populace that calls itself civilized. To make us obey a functioning traffic signal it has to be manned by a couple of cops. The city police have to be out in full strength to prevent us from behaving like cattle on the streets. City Magistrate has to be personally present to prevent us from using plastic bags which have been banned for our own good. The entire powers that be have to be mobilized to make us fall in line for the tiniest of the jobs.  And all this is happening in the heart of the capital of the second most literate state of our country!

That we are a nation of law-breakers is a sad commentary on us as inhabitants of one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Besides the family, a country’s social and educational systems have the duty to groom its children into virtuous, disciplined and compassionate future citizens. 

Ours obviously have some serious flaws which need to be identified and rectified urgently so that these are better equipped to discharge their responsibilities. Otherwise we will continue to demonstrate to ourselves and to the world that we are one big nation of unruly people.

Hopefully, the residents of Doon will continue to follow traffic rules and shun polythene bags even after the two drives are over.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 19/02/2013)

State’s first Woman MP?

The upcoming by election for Tehri parliamentary constituency on 10^th October is more or less a straight contest between the congress and the BJP. For the twelve other candidates saving their security deposits would be a major achievement.

That both the main parties have fielded candidates on the basis of their pedigree in a bid to perpetuate dynasties is a matter of serious concern. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna is hoping to do a “son rise” in Tehri, merely following the likes of his leader Sonia Gandhi, and others like Prakash Singh Badal, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Farooq Abdullah, etc. In a strange coincidence the son of President Pranab Mukherjee is also trying to do likewise as the congress candidate from the Jangipur seat in West Bengal that was vacated by his father upon moving to Rashtrapati Bhawan. The explicit intention is to pass on these parliamentary seats by way of inheritance to offsprings as is done with personal assets.

BJP’s candidate is truly blue blooded, a member of the erstwhile Tehri royal family. Her father-in-law late Manvendra Shah, much adored and respected, was elected by people of this constituency a record number of eight times as their representative in the Lok Sabha. Mala Raj Laxmi is bidding to regain her family’s traditional seat in order to continue serving the people of her former empire. For the ordinary voter, making a choice between the two is a herculean task indeed.

Amid the dull and listless proceedings, nobody has thus far realized that the electorate of Tehri constituency is uniquely poised and just a step away from creating history. And this rare opportunity has been unwittingly provided by the BJP. This constituency has never ever sent a woman MP to the Lok Sabha. In fact the record of all the five parliamentary constituencies falling in Uttarakhand has been rather dismal. Together, these constituencies have sent 66 MPs to Lok Sabha so far and, with the sole exception of Ila Pant who won the Nainital seat in 1998 during UP days on a BJP ticket, no other woman has ever been elected from any of the other seats. To seize this wonderful chance all that the voters of Tehri have to do is to dutifully exercise their right to vote on the polling day.

Will the fact that history may be in the making motivate and galvanize the electorate of Tehri into action? Will the voters cut across party, gender, caste and religious lines to grab this prospect? Will women electors rally around one of their own ilk? Will the indifferent ones shake off their lethargy and walk up to their polling booths? Will the people take that one final step forward? Will Mala Raj Laxmi be the first woman to be elected to Lok Sabha after the formation of the state of Uttarakhand?

The outcome would be known on 13^th October. If the people’s verdict is indeed historic it may well be that catalyst our state needs on its road ahead.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 02/10/2012)