Round The States

New Delhi, 24 June 2010

Battle Against Corruption

KARNATAKA SENDS SHOCK WAVES

By Insaf

Karnataka is threatening to become a major issue in the country’s battle against corruption. On Wednesday last, the State’s Lokayukta, N Santosh Hegde, tendered his resignation sending shock waves across the country. The reason: sheer “disgust” against the “non-cooperation” by the BJP Government in his crusade against corruption. "The decision was not taken at the spur of the moment. It is not an emotional outburst. For a long time, I suffered mentally. The Government ignored and showed indifference towards the Lokayukta institution," he said after submitting his resignation to Governor H R Bhardwaj. Sadly, for the six crore Kannadigas, Hegde was a moral force that drove fear into the hearts of the corrupt, and under him the institution meant to nab corrupt officials had evolved. In fact, the aam admi saw him as their saviour, as one who helped them in matters ranging from getting pension to securing school admissions.

 Hegde's resignation, which will come into effect on August 31, is the first case in the country where a Lokayukta has quit after blaming the Government. Hegde cited three reasons for his decision: non-appointment of the Upalokayukta for the past six months because of which thousands of complaints had piled up; reinstating officers suspended following his recommendation to the same post after a few months; and a recent recommendation made to the Chief Secretary by a Minister to suspend the Deputy Conservator of Forests,  who, on the directions of the Lokayukta, had seized eight lakh tonnes of iron ore illegally transported to Belekeri port. Hegde stressed that “If I cannot protect an officer who was obeying me... then I should not be in a position where I give them directives.” Interestingly, Hegde’s resignation comes on the eve of the second anniversary celebrations planned by the Yeddyurappa Government. It will be a major setback to the BJP, which has been lambasting the UPA Government at the Centre for mounting corruption.

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Bihar Alliance Intact

Bihar has once again weathered the coalition storm. After days of sabre-rattling in public, the JD(U)-BJP ruling combine has agreed to keep the alliance going. On Wednesday last, the two NDA partners decided it was best to bury their differences and “run the government together and serve the people.” Fissures had appeared in the alliance following a bitter feud between JD (U) Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his BJP counterpart in Gujarat, Narendra Modi. Kumar had returned the Rs 5 crore flood relief fund to Gujarat after an advertisement appeared in local newspapers of Patna thanking Modi for the help. Kumar also insisted that Modi and Varun Gandhi not be fielded as campaigners for the Assembly elections. While the Bihar CM was obviously eyeing the Muslim vote bank in his State, the BJP was unwilling to play second fiddle and accept any pre-conditions. Fortunately, the two camps realised that public display of discord was not doing either of the sides any good. The alliance, which has withstood the test of time for 15 years should remain intact, more so as the State is to go to the polls in four months. Will the peace last or will the two partners find themselves embroiled in another feud over seat-sharing in the coming months? 

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Compensation For Bhopal Victims

The outrage in Bhopal over the scandalous compensation to the gas victims has yielded  some dividend. The Group of Ministers, headed by Home Minister P Chidambaram, on Monday last finalized a Rs 1,500 crore package for enhancing compensation for the kin of those who died and those debilitated in the Bhopal gas disaster 26 years ago. The GoM, which went into a whole range of issues, including relief and rehabilitation of the victims, has  recommended a payment of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of the dead, Rs five lakh for those permanently disabled or suffering from critical ailments and Rs 3 lakhs for those partially debilitated in the world's worst industrial disaster. The other recommendations include a fresh attempt for extradition of former CEO of Union Carbide Warren Anderson, the filing of a curative petition in the Supreme Court against the dilution of charges against the accused in the case and the take-over of the Bhopal Memorial Trust hospital, set up in the aftermath of the tragedy, for whose upgradation Rs 230 crore will be spent. Recall that in the immediate aftermath of the gas leak 5,295 people lost their lives, and another 10,047 persons succumbed in the following months. Out of the 5,60,000 affected people, nearly 37,000 were permanently disabled, 3,166 were completely disabled while the rest received minor injuries.

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Hope For Kashmiri Pandits

Winds of change are blowing in Kashmir. Last weekend over 800 Kashmiri Pandits families, who continue to live in the Valley had a welcome influx of guests. Their relatives from Jammu and other places across the country attended the yearly Kheerbhawani festival and also decided to have an extended holiday. The pilgrims, were particularly impressed with the hospitality extended by the local population, which greeted them with sweets and arranged all the pre-requisites for the traditional puja. According to the State Government, this year over 40,000 Pandits marked their presence at the festival which takes place at the temple dedicated to Ragnya Devi, one of the incarnations of goddess Durga, at Tulmula, in Ganderbal.  For many in Srinagar, this was a sign of “a changing Kashmir”, and that perhaps the Pandits, who had fled the Valley at the start of militancy, may consider visiting, if not return home completely. Remember, the  Central government is implementing a Rs 1,618 crore plan to rehabilitate the migrants for their return. This includes an employment package; 3,000 have been promised government jobs.  

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Well Being In Delhi, Mumbai

Delhi and Mumbai have reason to rejoice. The two cities have been judged as having the best living standards in the country. In comparison, Orissa's Rayagada and Kandhamal districts were declared the worst, followed by Banka district in Bihar. The findings are a part of a report by the Tata Strategic Management Group, after analysing the National Sample Survey Organisation household surveys and Census 2001 data to generate the Well Being Index. Delhi and Mumbai occupied the first five slots measured on eight criteria -- education, hygiene, entertainment, communication, healthcare, transportation, home amenities and kitchen facilities. While Central Delhi ranked first followed by New Delhi and North Delhi districts, the fourth and fifth spots, went to Mumbai and Mumbai suburban. In home amenities, North and Central Delhi were at pole position, while East Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh and Banka in Bihar were bottom-placed. Kitchen facilities were found to be the best in East Delhi and Dimapur in Nagaland, whereas Sonapur and Nuapada districts in Orissa were at the bottom positions.---INFA

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